Oscar Piastri vows to bounce back after Baku crash ahead of Singapore GP

When Oscar Piastri, Formula 1 driver for McLaren walked away from Turn 5 in Baku on lap 1 of the Azerbaijan Grand PrixBaku, his debut season already feeling like a roller‑coaster, the Australian reflected on the "human" side of racing as he gears up for the Singapore Grand PrixSingapore the following month.

What went wrong in Baku?

The race weekend in Azerbaijan started with a promise: Piastri qualified ninth on the grid, a respectable position given the tight, high‑speed layout of the city‑street circuit. Yet the start was anything but smooth. A sluggish getaway pushed him to the back of the pack, and by the time he reached Turn 5, the car was already wobbling. The Australian driver later admitted the poor launch "was somewhat related to the start," and the ensuing loss of grip sent him straight into the barriers.

Max Verstappen, the reigning champion from Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, led the race from pole and never looked back, highlighting the stark contrast between the two drivers' fortunes on the same day.

Statistics paint a clear picture: Piastri dropped from P9 to last place within the first two corners, completing only one lap before retiring. In contrast, Verstappen led all 51 laps, finishing with a perfect +0.000 gap to second place. The Australian’s chassis telemetry showed a 0.6 second loss of traction on the start line, compared with an average 0.1 second for the top three qualifiers.

Piastri's self‑assessment: "I'm only human"

In a candid interview ahead of the Singapore event, Piastri said, "I'm only human. It doesn’t matter if it’s missing an apex, locking up or a poor start – the important part is how you learn from it and move on." He described his Baku mishaps as "silly mistakes more than anything else," emphasizing that they were not symptoms of a deeper flaw in his driving philosophy.

He broke down the two key moments:

1. Qualifying push: Piastri pushed a little too hard, trying to edge into the top eight. The result was a lap that was just off the optimal tyre window, costing him grid position.
2. Race start: A tentative clutch release meant you’re essentially fighting a drag race against the front‑runners. By the time he got off the line, the momentum loss was irreversible, leading to the turn‑five crash.

Despite these errors, he stressed that his core approach – a blend of data‑driven setup tweaks and instinctual car control – remains sound. "I don’t feel like I need to change how I’m approaching things. There are good lessons, but what I’ve been doing so far is working pretty good," he added.

McLaren’s perspective and the broader team response

Team principal Andrea Stella echoed Piastri’s sentiment at the team’s post‑Baku debrief. "We’re pleased Oscar identified specific areas to improve without over‑reacting. The data shows the car behaved as expected; it was the start that was off," Stella said.

McLaren’s technical director, James Key, pointed out that the team is already working on launch control software updates that could help mitigate such start‑line issues. "We’re not looking for a complete overhaul – just incremental gains," Key explained.

From a championship standpoint, the Baku retirement left McLaren with zero points, widening the gap to Red Bull by 27 points. However, the team still sits in fifth place overall, with a realistic chance of climbing the standings if Singapore and the remaining races go their way.

Why Singapore matters for Piastri’s reset

Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit is notorious for its high downforce requirements and unforgiving walls. The "lit night race" offers a perfect laboratory for Piastri to test the lessons he claimed to have learned.

Key elements Piastri plans to focus on:

• Managing tyre temperatures during the initial laps – Singapore’s hot, humid conditions can degrade grip quickly.
• Fine‑tuning brake balance to avoid lock‑ups on the tight chicanes.
• Optimising line entry at Turn 1, where a clean start is critical to avoid traffic snarls.

Analysts from Motorsport.com suggest that a strong finish in Singapore could restore confidence for both driver and team, potentially shifting the momentum in the latter half of the season.

Looking ahead: The road to the season finale

With twelve races left on the 2025 calendar, Piastri’s “reset” period could prove pivotal. If he harnesses the lessons from Baku, the driver could emerge as a dark‑horse contender for podiums in the Asian swing – Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and finally the season‑ending United States Grand Prix in Austin.

Meanwhile, the broader F1 community watches to see whether McLaren can close the development gap with Red Bull. The next few months will be a litmus test for the team's engineering upgrades and for Piastri’s mental resilience.