Oscar Piastri blames himself after crash as McLaren forced to wait for Constructor's Championship

The Australian driver acknowledged making two critical mistakes in quick succession. He first jumped the start from ninth position, immediately stopping but triggering anti-stall that sent him to the back of the field.

"Just didn't make the judgement calls that I need to at the right time, and that's obviously disappointing," Piastri admitted.

He explained that he failed to account for reduced grip and turbulent air when approaching the corner, entering far too quickly before colliding with the barriers.

The McLaren driver's nightmare weekend continued after his qualifying crash on Saturday. Starting ninth following grid penalties, Piastri's premature launch saw him halt immediately as the lights went out.

With his car stuck in anti-stall mode, the entire field streamed past, relegating him to last place entering the first corner. Fernando Alonso received a five-second penalty for also jumping the start.

Just two corners later, Piastri's race ended dramatically.

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He locked his front tyres approaching Turn 3 and slammed head-on into the barriers, triggering an immediate safety car period.

The crash dealt a significant blow to his championship aspirations, with Max Verstappen now trailing by just 69 points with 199 remaining.

It also meant that there was no chance that McLaren could secure the Constructor's Championship this week and must now wait for the Singapore Grand Prix in two weeks.

His team-mate Lando Norris stood to benefit but could only manage seventh place.

Max Verstappen delivered a commanding performance from pole position, leading every lap to secure his second consecutive victory.

The Dutchman finished 14.6 seconds ahead of George Russell, who battled through illness throughout the weekend to claim second place for Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz sparked celebrations at Williams after securing third place, marking his first podium appearance since his final outing with Ferrari in Abu Dhabi last season. The Spanish driver's result represented Williams' best finish of the current campaign.

Verstappen's triumph marked his first back-to-back victories in 15 months, completing a grand chelem with pole position, race win, leading every lap and fastest lap.

The four-time world champion's flawless display from lights to flag strengthened his championship position following Piastri's early retirement.

Lando Norris endured a frustrating afternoon, hampered by a problematic 4.1-second pit stop when his front-right wheel caused delays.

The slow service dropped him behind Liam Lawson and Charles Leclerc, ultimately condemning him to seventh place despite multiple overtaking attempts.

McLaren's hopes of securing consecutive constructors' championships for the first time in 34 years were dashed.

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THE CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER IS OUT 🤯

Oscar Piastri crashes out in Baku after falling to the back of the grid at the start 💥 pic.twitter.com/Ko25GeJmsI

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 21, 2025

The team must wait until Singapore in two weeks, maintaining a 333-point advantage over Mercedes with 303 points remaining.

Kimi Antonelli finished fourth ahead of Lawson's impressive fifth place. Yuki Tsunoda, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Isack Hadjar completed the top ten.

The safety car period lasted until lap four, after which Verstappen controlled proceedings throughout the 51-lap race, adding the fastest lap to complete his dominant weekend.

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