Oscar Piastri had one of the worst weekends of his Formula 1 career at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His reputation as the coolest driver on the grid is in question after two crashes.
Speaking after qualifying, when the McLaren driver hit the wall at turn three, Jacques Villeneuve suggested Piastri was ‘feeling the pressure’. A disastrous start to the race will strengthen that narrative.
Moments after moving too early at the start, Piastri wedged his MCL39 in the wall at turn five. The scoreless weekend comes at the beginning of a decisive period in the F1 title race.
Piastri still holds a 25-point championship lead after teammate Lando Norris finished a disappointing seventh. But the key question is whether more errors will creep into driving in the last seven races, opening the door even wider for Norris.
Ralf Schumacher criticises Oscar Piastri’s ‘desperate’ false start at Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Piastri started the race ninth, only two places behind Norris. That was realistically the best-case scenario after his qualifying blunder.
But he immediately squandered the let-off by leaving his grid box before the lights went out. As he tried to correct the error, Piastri fell to the back of the grid.
Given how difficult it was to overtake – Norris became stuck behind Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson – it’s doubtful whether Piastri could have scored points from that position.
| RANK | DRIVER | START | END | TOTAL |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR 2018 | SAK 2020 | 48 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | MEX 2023 | AZE 2025 | 44 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | EMI 2022 | AUS 2024 | 43 |
Speaking on German television, Sky pundit Ralf Schumacher called the false start a sign of desperation. Piastri had finished 44 consecutive races, the second-longest streak in F1 history.
“It wasn’t his weekend,” Schumacher said. “He made a mistake in qualifying, and in the race, the false start, which shows he was desperate to win.
“Then this mistake [the race-ending crash]. He tried to overtake from the outside and braked too late. A black weekend for him.”
Lewis Hamilton should question the FIA after Oscar Piastri escaped Singapore penalty
Piastri was given a five-second penalty for jumping the start, but he naturally couldn’t serve it. Fortunately, he won’t carry any sanction over to Singapore.
Two races ago at Zandvoort, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton crashed out and was subsequently given a grid drop for failing to follow the race director’s instructions on the lap to the grid.
- READ MORE: Jolyon Palmer notices something strange in Oscar Piastri onboard after Azerbaijan Grand Prix crash
Hamilton may question why these two breaches were handled differently. Crucially, Piastri’s case was open-and-shut, incurring an automatic penalty, whereas the Ferrari driver was investigated after the race.
Hamilton’s breach was also more severe, potentially putting the safety of the grid personnel at risk. He was docked five places and given two penalty points; Piastri remains on six.