Piastri's Azerbaijan Grand Prix Crash Ends 34-Race Finishing Streak

Oscar Piastri, the 2025 Formula 1 Championship leader and McLaren driver, faced a challenging Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend after crashing during qualifying and the race's opening lap. Despite securing pole position for Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Piastri's crash in qualifying left him starting ninth, while teammate Lando Norris qualified seventh but failed to capitalize on Piastri's mistake. Piastri admitted to making uncharacteristic errors, including a jump start and misjudging grip levels, which led to his first DNF of the season and ended his streak of scoring in every race. McLaren's team principal Andrea Stella described the weekend as difficult but expressed hope that these mistakes were isolated. Despite the setbacks, Piastri remained optimistic about the race, acknowledging the car's speed and the potential to recover positions, though he called a win "ambitious." McLaren still leads the Constructors' Championship, with Piastri maintaining a 25-point lead over Norris with seven races remaining.