RACE REACTION: Piastri comments on his most disappointing performance of the season in Baku

Going into Baku, Oscar Piastri was riding high. He led the Drivers’ Championship with a healthy margin over Lando Norris, having been almost unflappable through the season — scoring in every race, and demonstrating consistent pace in practice, qualifying and race days. But the Azerbaijan GP turned into a sharp reminder of how thin the margin for error is in F1.

Qualifying Disaster

Qualifying in Baku is always treacherous — close walls, tricky track evolution, and in 2025, very disrupted conditions. For Piastri, things began promisingly in the earlier sessions (FP’s), but everything unravelled in Q3.

• With about four minutes remaining in Q3, Piastri crashed at Turn 3, bringing up the sixth red flag of what became a record-number of stoppages in the qualifying session.

• That crash meant he could not set a clean final lap, and he ended qualifying in P9, well off from where McLaren would have hoped.

After qualifying, Piastri was frustrated with what he called a “disappointing end” to what had been a pretty strong qualifying pace up until then. He admitted he braked a little too late and misjudged grip, especially given the dirty air, and said he’d go back to review what went wrong.

Race Day Catastrophe

Things didn’t improve in the race. Piastri’s issues began even before the first corner:

• He jumped the start, then the car’s anti-stall system kicked in. That dropped him back significantly before the lap even properly began.

• Trying to fight through the field, he locked up at Turn 5, lost control, and crashed into the wall — bringing an abrupt end to his race on the very first lap.

This meant Piastri’s run of 34 consecutive point-scoring finishes came to a halt. 

Piastri’s Reaction: Owning the Mistakes

Piastri was candid in admitting fault:

• He called the weekend “messy” and said the errors were “silly mistakes” and lapses in judgement. He emphasized that they weren’t due to lack of speed — he believed the car was there. 

• On the qualifying crash: “I probably braked a little bit late … the car was good and the pace was there, so just a disappointing way to end it.” 

• On the race crash: “I misjudged the grip level. Probably a lot of that’s from dirty air, but I know better than that … two simple errors on my behalf.” 

He seemed determined not to over-blame conditions or external factors, leaning heavily on personal responsibility and promising to learn from the weekend. 

Championship Implications

This weekend materially altered the title fight:

• Before Baku, Piastri held a 31-point lead over Lando Norris; after the crash, the gap shrank to about 25 points.

• McLaren also missed the opportunity to clinch the Constructors’ Championship at Baku. They had enough margin that, with a strong result, this weekend was one where they could have sealed it – but Piastri’s non-finish and Norris’ seventh place wasn’t enough. 

• Max Verstappen’s grand slam (pole, fastest lap, led all laps, won) further tightened the frame of reference: Piastri can’t afford similar weekends if he wants to keep the title lead. 

Even though he lost points, Piastri maintains a lead and still has room to absorb a bad race — especially if Norris doesn’t deliver perfect weekends either. But this weekend showed that mistakes, especially in qualifying or at race starts, will be punished harshly. 

What It Means Going Forward

Piastri’s mindset after Baku seems focused: learn, reset, refocus. He emphasized that while this was “not my finest moment,” he sees value in the pace the car showed, and believes McLaren remain strong across various circuits. 

A few things to watch:

• How McLaren addresses start procedure and anti-stall behaviour in future races – the jump start + anti-stall issue cost massively.

• Qualifying consistency: Piastri will need to avoid errors in Q3, especially with tricky sessions like Baku’s.

• Norris’ results in upcoming rounds are now more critical: any strong finishes from Lando potentially threaten to flip momentum.

Also, for the remaining part of the season (seven races including sprints, etc.), the psychological impact of this kind of mistake can be significant. Piastri has looked calm so far, but the pressure is rising.

Final Thoughts

Oscar Piastri’s Azerbaijan GP was one of his toughest weekends in recent memory. From the qualifying crash to the jump‐start and race-ending collision, it was a series of errors he will want to put behind him quickly. Yet, even in this messy weekend, he showed pace and belief in the car, owned his mistakes, and retained enough of a points buffer to stay in the championship hunt.

If he can respond well in Singapore and the following races, this could become a turning point for the better — a lesson that deepens his composure. But if similar weekends accumulate, the opportunity Max and others are seeking may grow closer. In F1, it’s often not just about raw speed; it’s about minimizing the bad, maximizing the good. Baku reminded Piastri and McLaren of that harsh truth.