Piastri Out of Race in Azerbaijan Grand Prix; Norris Seeks to Reduce Distance
BAKU, Azerbaijan – Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri suffered an accident on the first lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which opens a great opportunity for Lando Norris to reactivate the fight for the title. Piastri, who surpasses his McLaren teammate, Norris, by 31 points, had a complicated start, falling behind at the end of the grid. During the first lap, he went off the track at turn 5, impacting the wall and ending his race immediately. This incident ended his streak of 34 consecutive races in the points.Norris, who started from seventh position, will now seek to reduce the points difference. Piastri’s accident caused the safety car to come out, continuing the weekend’s drama. Saturday’s qualifying session had already been marked by six red flag interruptions, one of them due to a Piastri accident in Q3. The replays also suggested that Piastri may have jumped the start. The Australian driver is being investigated, which could result in an additional penalty. Fernando Alonso, who started just behind Piastri in eleventh position, received a five-second penalty for jumping the start.“I’m sorry, guys,” Piastri said over the radio, before getting out of the car.
Oscar Piastri
