Oscar Piastri apologises to McLaren after troubled Azerbaijan Grand Prix
22nd September 2025McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has apologised to the team after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after the championship leader crashed on the first lap of the race.
Feature image credit: McLaren Racing
Piastri made an uncharacteristic mistake at the Azerbaijan GP last weekend after the Australian compounded his poor qualifying performance with a first-lap crash.
The Australian had been on a 44-race streak where he was consecutively finishing the race, regardless if he was in the points or not, and was closing on the record set by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton of 48 (Britain 2018 – Bahrain 2020).
It marks the first retirement for the McLaren driver since the 2023 United States Grand Prix, spanning from the 2023 Mexican GP to the 2025 Italian GP.
In Baku, Piastri jumped the start and fell from ninth to last by the first corner, and as he tried to regain lost positions, he locked up in turn five and nose-dived into the barrier, ending his run of consecutive finishes.
“Obviously not the weekend we were looking for in Baku,” said Piastri. “I made a mistake at the start and then locked up. I want to apologise to the team, especially the mechanics after they did such a great job to get my car back together after Qualifying.
“We just need to keep our heads down, review, and put this one behind us before coming back stronger next race weekend.”
The championship was swung open after the Dutch Grand Prix, when his teammate, Lando Norris retired from the Dutch race.
However, following Italian GP, where the deficit dropped to 31 points, Norris now trails his teammate by 25 points going into the Singapore Grand Prix.
The crash compounded a poor weekend for the Australian, after both McLarens qualified out of position.
In Q3, Piastri endured a premature end to qualifying as he locked up in turn three and crashed into the barrier, cementing a ninth-place start after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed similarly at turn 15.
“A difficult weekend at a circuit we knew would be tricky for us,” said McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella. “It was confirmation once again that our competitors are not far from us and at some circuits are faster.
“For Oscar, it was a rare weekend with a few uncharacteristic mistakes, but he is already processing the weekend and taking all the learnings ahead of the next round. On Lando’s side, we didn’t give him a car that was in condition to overtake. He otherwise drove a solid race.
“A big thank you to team trackside for all of their work, especially rebuilding Oscar’s car after Qualifying and to the team back in Woking for their great support. We will review our efforts and ensure we come back stronger in Singapore.”
Following Piastri’s crash, it meant McLaren’s challenge to secure the constructors’ title in Baku was made more difficult with Norris picking up the points single-handedly.
As the Briton could only muster a seventh-place finish, it meant the championship would be forced to go on until at least the Singapore GP, in two weeks.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have diverted trip home after Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Ferrari confirms issue with Leclerc’s car after unsatisfactory Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen secures Azerbaijan Grand Prix win as Piastri crashes
- FIA Race Director makes adjustment ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Who starts where with penalties applied?
- Max Verstappen claims pole in chaotic qualifying for Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
