Oscar Piastri “feeling the pressure” after “erratic” driving in Azerbaijan GP qualifying

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Oscar Piastri is “feeling the pressure” after a rare mistake in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Piastri crashed out in Q3, locking up heavily into Turn 3.

This accident caused the sixth - and final - red flag of a chaotic F1 qualifying session at the Baku City Circuit.

Fortunately for Piastri, F1 title rival Lando Norris will start the race from seventh, after a poor final effort in Q3.

It’s been a weekend littered with errors from a number of drivers, including the two McLarens.

Piastri and Norris had brushes with the walls in second practice, costing both of them crucial track time.

Reviewing qualifying on his Instagram account, Villeneuve pointed out Piastri has been “driving erratically” all weekend.

“The other drivers… not fantastic laps,” Villeneuve said. “Piastri put it in the wall, the championship leader. He’s been driving erratically this weekend, so it looks a little bit tough. He’s feeling the pressure, [but] saved by the fact that Norris messed up his laps as well, so they will both start in the midfield.” 

The good news for Piastri is that he has a 31-point lead over Norris in the drivers’ championship.

Max Verstappen starts the race from pole position after an error-free session.

The Dutchman isn’t in title contention, sitting 94 points behind the lead McLaren.

Piastri gets new chassis for Azerbaijan GP

McLaren have given Piastri a new chassis for Sunday’s race in Azerbaijan.

Piastri will still start the race from ninth, rather than the pit lane.

This is because his original chassis was damaged, and it has been replaced by an identical specification.

According to the sporting regulations, drivers are allowed to change chassis without a penalty if they have “suffered genuine accident damage or a significant failure or fault”.

Piastri won the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, pulling off a bold overtake on Charles Leclerc for the win.