Oscar Piastri delivers Azerbaijan GP verdict after ‘tricky’ Friday practice

Oscar Piastri has admitted that Friday practice ahead of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was packed with “tricky moments” that have prevented him from uncovering the true pace of his car.

But he’s not ruling out a strong performance for his McLaren team just yet; Piastri pointed out that there were still plenty of positives that the team can build from coming into qualifying and race day.

An “up and down” Friday for Oscar Piastri

Friday practice ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a bit hairy for championship leader Oscar Piastri, prompting him to note that there were plenty of “tricky moments” throughout the two one-hour sessions.

A glance at the timing sheets for Free Practice 1 could be deceiving: while both McLaren drivers topped the charts (with Piastri just trailing teammate Lando Norris), the Australian driver spent a decent portion of the session in the garage addressing power unit problems that left him scrambling to turn some laps in what was a red flag-studded session.

Then came Free Practice 2, which proved to be challenging for both Piastri and Norris.

Norris’ session came to an early close when he brushed the wall in Turn 4, knocking his suspension out of alignment.

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Moments later, Piastri also clattered into the wall, scuffing the Pirelli logos off his right-side tyres. The damage was minimal, but it still forced him to postpone his run plan yet again.

Then came a summons from the stewards for an alleged breach of yellow-flag procedure. The Aussie escaped with a reprimand — his first of the season.

That all led to a fairly disappointing showing in FP2: a measly 12th on the timing sheets, two positions below his teammate.

Speaking to media after the session, Piastri labeled his day as “a bit tricky, yeah.”

“Just a bit up and down,” he admitted.

“I think the pace is there; it’s just not the easiest to get the most out of it at the moment, so that’s probably just the main thing.”

He’s not going to completely discount a strong showing in qualifying or the race, but Piastri did in fact repeat that the day was “tricky.”

“We tried a few things in FP2; I’m sure we will look back and see what we can change for tomorrow, but I think it’s going to be a bit different with tyre choices and things like that,” he said.

“I think there’s still a lot of positives from today, just a few tricky moments.”

This weekend could be a major one for McLaren, as the team is poised to reassume the title of World Constructors’ Champions following its impressive performance in 2024. The team’s drivers need only score a 1-3 finish, and it will have accomplished one of its major F1 2025 goals.

And with a shrinking number of grands prix this season, the drivers’ championship battle is hotting up between Piastri and Norris. The Australian driver has the upper hand here with 324 points, 31 points ahead of Norris, but the tides of the season could shift back in the Briton’s favor in the event of a challenging race or two.

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