Bitter pill for Piastri after ‘perfection’ flipped script

The McLaren narrative heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was all about how the team would prioritise Lando Norris in his quest to become their first drivers’ champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
But the opposite ended up happening. Norris was instructed to hold up the Red Bull of Sergio Perez during the pit stop cycle to ensure Piastri kept position ahead of the Mexican
It worked. Piastri emerged behind Leclerc but ahead of Perez, and the rest is history.
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Piastri took the lead on lap 20 and then put in a faultless drive to the checquered flag.
“It was his drive of the season – as near to perfection as I think you can get,” Sky Sports F1 lead commentator David Croft told Wide World of Sports.
Oscar Piastri took a spectacular victory in Azerbaijan. Getty
“McLaren, I think, left him out for a lap too long before his pit stop, which is why Lando needed to help him a little bit, and did so well to keep Perez at bay.
“What I loved about it was Oscar did what he was told and advised to by his race engineer and by the team, but when he needed to be his own man, he was very much his own man.
“When he needed to go for it and get past Charles Leclerc, he did it. He didn’t think about the tyres, he only thought about the overtake, and then hung on brilliantly.
“Did Charles Leclerc ever come close to overtaking again and to getting past? No. Did it look like he was going to? A few times. The potential was there, but Oscar defended superbly. He made his mind up early and placed his car exactly where he knew he needed to place it.
“He showed a maturity for a 23-year-old that I didn’t have. It was a super, super victory, and and he deserved all the plaudits. It was the drive of a thoroughly accomplished driver.
“He is the real deal, and I’ve said he’s the real deal ever since he came into the Formula 1. He will be a world champion one day, I’m sure of it.
“If his car is good enough, Oscar is very much good enough.”
But despite showing all the hallmarks of a future world champion, Piastri will have to be patient.
He’s a rank outsider to be champion this year, while Norris is still a genuine threat. As such, Piastri will still be expected to follow Norris home in the event of a McLaren 1-2 in Singapore on Sunday night.
Piastri took the lead from the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and was never again headed. Getty
Although the gap between the two McLaren teammates is only 32 points, Piastri still sits fourth in the drivers’ championship, 91 points adrift of Max Verstappen. Norris is second, and trails by only 59 points.
Piastri essentially needs both Verstappen and Norris to DNF, and for him to win in Singapore for him to have a shot at winning the championship this year.
Norris can still do it on results alone, but cannot afford another tough weekend like in Baku.
Nobody could have predicted it at the time, but Piastri’s championship charge effectively ended in May.
Norris and Piastri. Formula 1 via Getty Images
Piastri was in the box seat to win the Miami Grand Prix when a safety car was called for a crash between Logan Sargeant and Kevin Magnussen right in the middle of the pitstop cycle.
Having already pitted, it murdered Piastri’s strategy. Norris had not yet stopped, and got a cheap pitstop, from which he emerged in the lead, and then drove away to win.
Piastri was relegated to fourth, and was later taken out of contention altogether in a collision with Carlos Sainz.
In an alternate reality, the Magnussen-Sargeant crash never happened, and Piastri wins the race, from probably Verstappen and Norris.
In that world, assuming everything before and after remained the same, Piastri is second in the championship, 71 points adrift of Verstappen, with Norris three points behind Piastri.
Closing such a gap in seven races would have been a Herculean effort – he would have needed to outscore Verstappen by 11 points per race between now and Abu Dhabi to do it – but who knows?
In the real world, Norris trails Verstappen by 59 points, with Piastri fourth – 91 points back from the lead.
“It’s the gap between Lando and Max that will dictate whether McLaren say ‘Oscar, you’re driving for your teammate’ or not,” Croft explained.
“Singapore this weekend is going to be fascinating. This has not been Red Bull’s greatest track in terms of their success rate, and it is a track where McLaren should go well. You’ve also got Ferrari and Mercedes in the mix somewhere as well.
Watch every practice, qualifying and the FORMULA 1 Singapore Grand Prix LIVE in 4K on Kayo Sports.
“You might get another situation where McLaren could lock out the front row and Max and Sergio are down on the third row or even the fourth.”
And it’s in this scenario team orders will be crucial.
“You’ve got to maximise your chances,” Croft explained.
“If you’re McLaren going for a 1-2, it makes no difference in the constructors’ championship who finishes ahead of the other.”
But in the drivers’ championship, who finishes ahead of who is crucial. A win is worth 25 world championship points, while second is worth 18.
If Piastri leads a McLaren 1-2 with Verstappen in fifth, Norris would take only eight points out of Verstappen’s lead. If Norris leads Piastri, it’s a 15-point swing.
The win was Piastri’s second grand prix victory. Getty
“That’s a big difference when you’ve only then got six races and three sprints to go,” Croft said.
“I’m sure Oscar would comply if he was asked to do that by the team, and he would understand. He might not like it, but he’s complied in the past when he’s not liked situations and he’s done it without moaning as well.”
But what that means is the opening race of the 2025 season, Piastri’s home grand prix in Melbourne, has even more importance.
“Whoever starts the fastest at McLaren, whoever gets into the lead over the other will claim they’re the number one driver,” Croft said.
“McLaren will keep it fair for as long as they possibly can, but that’s next year.”
The F1 season continues at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend. Race coverage on Fox Sports and Kayo to begin at 8.30pm (AEST) Sunday, ahead of lights out at 10pm.