‘Tried Too Hard,’ Oscar Piastri Takes Blame for Shocking Crash During Azerbaijan GP Qualifying

Oscar Piastri came clean and accepted his shortcomings at the Azerbaijan GP Qualifying which caused him to crash in the final stages of Q3.

‘Tried Too Hard,’ Oscar Piastri Takes Blame for Shocking Crash During Azerbaijan GP Qualifying

Oscar Piastri (via Getty)

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Oscar Piastri seemed strong off the racing line at the Azerbaijan GP weekend and would have had a great shot at pole position. However, a Q3 session crash ruined all chances of Piastri to shine on Sunday. The Aussie couldn’t control his car coming into Turn 3 and could only achieve a P9 start to the race after bashing his car into the wall. Now, the 24-year-old comes clean on his blunders and takes blame for the shocking crash.

Notably, Oscar Piastri has put forth one of the most consistent and flawless performances in the 2025 season. The Aussie has not committed any major mistakes on track since his spinout at the season-opener in Australia. The Azerbaijan GP Qualifying crash came as a massive shocker, as Piastri does not commit such mistakes. Moreover, McLaren’s dominant pace should’ve helped him fight easily for the pole if it weren’t for his crash.

Speaking on the woes on Saturday, Oscar Piastri reflected that he believed the car to be in a great place, one that would have maximized his winning chances. As such, Piastri deemed the end to his Qualifying session as ‘disappointing’. Since the session was red-flagged because of Charles Leclerc‘s crash, the Australian had a very strict window to perform well and clinch the pole position.

Piastri pushed the car too hard and crashed into the wall. The 24-year-old recalled that his start to the final lap was good enough, and he was unaware of what really happened. The championship leader accepted that he may have tried too hard to perform well, or the track was slippery because of the light rain. Regardless, Oscar Piastri will have to work hard on the track in order to move up the pecking order.

I felt the car was in a good place, so a disappointing end. The first two corners were really good so I don’t know if I just tried too much or if the rain was around. Ultimately I need to go have a look… Ultimately just tried a little bit too hard.

Oscar Piastri said in a post-session interview

Oscar Piastri reveals ‘ambitious’ goal at Azerbaijan GP

Oscar Piastri will start the Azerbaijan GP from the ninth spot right ahead of Ferrari’s duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Ahead of Piastri, he will have to battle with the Mercedes and his own teammate, and even Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson, before moving on to Max Verstappen. As such, with Verstappen being on pole position, the Aussie’s winning chances are more or less null.

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (via Red Bull)

Speaking of a victory contention, Oscar Piastri accepted that trying to achieve the race win or even thinking about it was already very ambitious. Further, Piastri reckoned that he may have braked a little bit too late and lost control of his car. The Aussie further pointed out the obvious and claimed that he braked too late, which caused him to lock up his brakes and ultimately hit the wall.

I think the win is ambitious, but let’s see how Qualifying shakes out first. I think just braked a little bit late. Its normally what happens when you brake a bit too late, you lock a brake.

Oscar Piastri noted

The shock crash from Oscar Piastri and a P9 start for the main race changes a lot of the conditions in the drivers’ title. The Aussie is leading the title with just 31 points to Lando Norris and 96 points to Max Verstappen. Hence, Piastri must give it his all and walk out of the weekend with some great points if he wants to maintain his massive lead in the standings.

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