Ricciardo celebrates points, Norris grumbles about McLaren's order in Baku

The track of the Azerbaijan GP, held this Sunday morning (12), is not one of the most positive for McLaren's car. Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris were buried deep in the middle of the pack, but they managed to score points together again, something that hadn't happened since the Bahrain GP in March. At the end of the race, Norris was ordered to open the door for Ricciardo to pass, something that bothered the Englishman.

Ricciardo and Norris were, in this order, eighth and ninth. It is easy to understand why they swapped positions: McLaren had a faster car than Fernando Alonso, who had the Alpine in seventh position, and understood that he had to attack. Ricciardo tried and failed, so, with a few laps to go, the team ordered the inversion and Norris became eighth and chased Alonso.

With three laps to go, Norris was not close to threatening and was ordered to give it back and kindly. He didn't like it. Either way, Ricciardo celebrated being back in the points after almost three months and seven races.

"Happy to be back in the points, for sure, looking from a collective point of view, we were aiming for that. I think Fernando could have been quicker at some points, but his third sector was so fast that even if we did well in the last corner he would get away," said the Australian.

"You could see Lando right behind him in the first stint and not being able to pass. That was our team... I'm happy to be back in the points. We always want to be faster, and as a team we optimize what we can do and play to the team orders," he said.

"Any little thing helps. I know I'm not perfect with this car, but I've taken a good step forward. I also understand the direction better in the setup and the confidence I have built up regarding grip. Every driver has his own technique and style. You throw the car into the corner and hope it stays on the track," he finished.

Still annoyed after getting out of the car, Norris didn't want to say much, but made it clear that, although he understood the team, he didn't like it.

"Difficult race. We were unlucky with the strategy because of some cars stopping at the VSC when we decided not to. My pace was much better than some cars that stayed in front of me, but that's the way it is. It didn't make much difference for us, since collectively we finished eighth and ninth", he evaluated.

Regarding the complaint when the team ordered Ricciardo to return the position, he explained. "It's one race, I wanted to finish eighth. The pit-stop was reasonable, but I lost some time. The lap into the track was slow because the tires were worn out. I could have stopped a lap earlier," he spoke.

"It's tough. At the end of the day, we were still fighting for position and it's a race. I'm not going to say anything [about the situation]. I think what we did was fair, but as a driver I want to be the one who finishes in front," he finished.

Formula One returns next week, June 17-19, in Montreal with the Canadian Grand Prix.