Oscar Piastri damned his own performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as characterised by lapses in judgment and silly mistakes, but the world championship leader still emerged from the crash that left the front of the Australian’s car in pieces with the bulk of his title advantage intact – and on such fortune might this season yet turn.
Max Verstappen won the race in Baku with another dominant run from pole to flag to match his victory at the last round in Monza and with it bring the very slenderest suggestion that he may still be in the championship battle.
However, in what was a largely unengaging procession, the drama revolved around Piastri, as he was found more wanting in the short time between just before the lights went out and his reaching the fifth corner than he has been all season.
After he had dropped to last from a botched start and then gone in too hot at turn five to lock up and spear his McLaren into the wall, the door appeared open for his title rival and teammate Lando Norris to take advantage. Yet the British driver, try as he might, could make no headway, starting in seventh and finishing in the same place.
Piastri will consider himself lucky that what might have been a huge swing in Norris’s favour was averted. As it was, he dropped only six points and still enjoys a 25-point advantage with seven meetings remaining. The British driver was left to rue not doing better in qualifying, as a start near the front would have likely netted him a hatful.
What was most striking about Piastri foundering was that it stood in such stark contrast to the cool equanimity with which the 24-year-old has handled being in a title fight in only his third season in the sport. It also suggests that as the pressure continues to build as he and Norris vie for the title, closing it out remains the hardest task of all.
It was McLaren’s worst weekend of the season at a race where they could have sealed the constructors’ title, with both drivers compromised from qualifying. Piastri clattered out on Saturday, once more too hot into a corner, and his Sunday went from bad to worse.
While Verstappen shot away from pole into a lead he would not relinquish, Piastri had a shocking launch from ninth. He made a jump-start, then stopped the car; anti-stall kicked in and left him mired and dropped to last.
Chasing places, he went into turn five, underestimated his lack of grip in the dirty air from the field in front and was helpless as he ploughed into the wall, ending a 34-race scoring streak. It left the Australian stony-faced at the side of the track watching the race unfold after a weekend to forget.
Piastri has shown only rare moments of misjudgment this season and while he held his hands up, tried to take what little comfort he could from a weekend he must hope is but a minor case of the yips.
“Qualifying yesterday was what it was,” he said. “Then Sunday, just more silly mistakes. It was certainly a messy weekend.
“I would be more concerned if I was slow and trying to make up for it that way and having errors because of that. The fact that they’re just simple lapses in judgment, if I am trying to find a silver lining then I suppose I have that.”
Norris had everything to gain but he too paid the price for a poor qualifying, starting in seventh in the pack on a track where DRS trains make overtaking a difficult ask. He was confined to stately locomotion pretty much all afternoon.
McLaren’s attempt at going long on his tyres was stymied partly by a slow pit stop, which potentially cost him three places, and at the close, despite fresher rubber, not having enough of a pace advantage to make a difference against Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, who took fifth and sixth.
Verstappen, by contrast, was absolutely serene in giving a demonstration of what a title fight this might have been had Red Bull given him a more consistently competitive car.
McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, has refused to count him out as a title contender, even given the points gap means it remains a slim chance. Verstappen has now closed what was a 94-point deficit to 69. It is a mountain to climb but the world champion may enjoy giving McLaren sweaty palms at the very least.
1 Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 1hr 33min 26.408sec
2 George Russell (GB) Mercedes GP +14.609
3 Carlos Sainz Jr (Sp) Williams +19.199
4 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (It) Mercedes +21.760
5 Liam Lawson (NZ) Racing Bulls +33.290
6 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull +33.808
7 Lando Norris (GB) McLaren +34.227
8 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Ferrari +36.310
9 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari +36.774
10 Isack Hadjar (Fr) RB +38.982
11 Gabriel Bortoleto (Br) Sauber +1:07.606
12 Oliver Bearman (GB) Haas +1:08.262
13 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams +1:12.870
14 Esteban Ocon (Fr) Haas +1:17.580
15 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Aston Martin +1:18.707
16 Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) Sauber +1:20.237
17 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin +1:36.392
18 Pierre Gasly (Fr) Alpine +1 lap
19 Franco Colapinto (Arg) Alpine +1 lap
Not classified Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 0 laps completed.
Fastest Lap Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 1:43.388 on lap 50.
Drivers' championship standings
1 Oscar Piastri (Aus) 324pts, 2 Lando Norris (GB) 299, 3 Max Verstappen (Neth) 255, 4 George Russell (GB) 212, 5 Charles Leclerc (Mon) 165, 6 Lewis Hamilton (GB) 121, 7 Kimi Antonelli (It) 78, 8 Alexander Albon (Tha) 70, 9 Isack Hadjar (Fr) 39, 10 Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) 37, 11 Lance Stroll (Can) 32, 12 Carlos Sainz Jr (Sp) 31, 13 Liam Lawson (NZ) 30, 14 Fernando Alonso (Sp) 30, 15 Esteban Ocon (Fr) 28, 16 Pierre Gasly (Fr) 20, 17 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) 20, 18 Gabriel Bortoleto (Br) 18, 19 Oliver Bearman (GB) 16, 20 Franco Colapinto (Arg) 0, 21 Jack Doohan (Aus) 0.
Constructors' championship standings
1 McLaren 623pts, 2 Mercedes 290, 3 Ferrari 286, 4 Red Bull 272, 5 Williams 101, 6 Racing Bulls 72, 7 Aston Martin 62, 8 Sauber 55, 9 Haas 44, 10 Alpine 20.
Behind him George Russell took a well-earned second from fifth despite suffering from illness all weekend but his pleasure in grinding it out was overshadowed by the sheer unadulterated delight from Carlos Sainz, who made the most of a mixed-up grid to take a superb third in his first season with Williams. It was the team’s first podium at a full race distance since Azerbaijan in 2017.
“We’ve had a lot of bad luck but I understand it had to happen like this,” Sainz said. “Life brings you bad moments to bring you a very nice one. It’s a life lesson to keep believing in the team around you.”
It is a sentiment Piastri may consider as he and Norris look to reset and go again in Singapore.
