Oscar Piastri retired from a Grand Prix in Baku for the first time in almost two years – but team boss Andrea Stella is not worried.
In Baku, Oscar Piastri experienced what was perhaps the most difficult weekend of his Formula 1 career to date.
The championship leader first crashed in qualifying and then made a false start in the race the following day, before his weekend was finally over a few corners later after another accident. These mistakes were “definitely uncharacteristic,” emphasizes McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, who points out that Piastri had previously seen the checkered flag in 44 consecutive races.
The Australian’s last retirement before Baku was at the US Grand Prix in Austin in October 2023. “I think Oscar has been the most consistent driver in the 2025 season so far,” Stella emphasizes, “and as far as I can tell, even multiple champions sometimes have weekends where it’s all about learning.”
And that’s exactly what Baku was like for Piastri. At the start, for example, the Australian simply wanted too much, Stella suspects, adding: “I’m sure we’ve seen that now and won’t see it again.”
Stella certain: Piastri feels no pressure
In his accidents in qualifying and in the race, he simply misjudged the grip, and on a track like Baku, that is immediately punished. Stella therefore immediately rejects the theory that Piastri is slowly feeling the pressure in the World Championship battle.
“That has happened to pretty much all champions, even those with the best track record,” he emphasizes, explaining: “I’ve seen incidents like this even from one of the best drivers in Formula 1 history, Michael Schumacher.”
Stella was under contract with Ferrari from 2000 to 2014, during which time he worked with “Schumi,” as well as Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen, among others. And even with the seven-time world champion, Stella can remember difficult weekends. In Schumacher’s farewell season with Ferrari in 2006, when Stella was the German’s performance engineer, the record world champion crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne without any outside influence—just like Piastri in Baku.
Will Piastri strike back in Singapore?
“I think one of Oscar’s greatest strengths is how quickly he learns, how quickly he improves, and how he can come back stronger. That’s why he’s been so successful in every category, and I believe that’s exactly what will happen in his Formula 1 career,” Stella emphasizes.
“And we’ll see that as the season progresses,” assures the McLaren team boss with seven races to go. Stella also suggests that Piastri may have picked the right time for his worst weekend of the year so far.
Because: “Even without problems, there weren’t many points to be had starting from P9,” says Stella. Teammate Lando Norris also finished only seventh in Baku, which is why Piastri travels to the next race in Singapore with a 25-point lead in the World Championship.
Nevertheless, the 24-year-old will probably not be able to afford any more weak weekends like the one in Azerbaijan from now on. According to team boss Andrea Stella, however, there will most likely not be any more of those.
