Following a race weekend marked by errors at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri has taken full responsibility for his performance. He described the event as “messy from start to finish.” The McLaren driver dismissed the idea that a change in mindset was to blame for the mistakes. He emphasised his focus now on regaining his form. Piastri also spoke about the the 2025 title hopes for Verstappen after Baku.
When asked if anything had been different about his preparation or headspace, he confirmed that the weekend felt like any other, which made the errors more notable.
He stated, “No, there’s not been anything that different. And I think for me, that’s how you want to look at that, I guess. But for me, you know, if I felt like I was in a completely different headspace, then it’s kind of easier to blame it on that. And also a problem to rectify, I guess. But this weekend’s felt like any other weekend. Just unfortunately, there’s been far too many mistakes from start to finish. You know, every single session has been messy. So, yeah, just trying to clean that’s the important thing for the future.”
Verstappen’s title hopes not a concern
With Max Verstappen enjoying a recent surge in performance, many questions have now emerged about his potential entry into the championship battle with back-to-back wins in the Monza and then at Baku. Oscar Piastri, however, maintained that his immediate concern is not on the threat posed by rivals but on his own need to bounce back.
When questioned about Verstappen’s hopes in the title fight after Baku, Piastri remained pragmatic.
“I don’t know. I’m not going to rule him out, but I’m honestly not too concerned with that. I’m just trying to bounce back from this weekend and put in the best performances that I can. And I know that if I get back to where I know I can be, then I’ll be more than OK. So that’s what I’m going to focus on,” he explained.
Potential for Verstappen to influence championship outcome
While his personal focus remains on self-improvement, Piastri acknowledged that another driver consistently fighting at the front after Baku could influence the title race between himself and his teammate, Lando Norris.
He noted that Verstappen’s presence could be either a positive or a negative depending on race-day circumstances.
“Yes and no. I mean, it can go both ways for you. You know, if Max is in the middle of us and I’m ahead, then it’s good for me. If it’s the opposite way around, then it’s bad for me,” Piastri said.
“So there’s positives and negatives to that. But ultimately, I want to make sure that my performances are at the level that they should be. And then I’ll let the rest play out as it will.”
