Piastri Crashes Out on Opening Lap of Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri suffered a dramatic exit from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday after crashing out on the opening lap.

The 24-year-old Australian, who had been left stranded on the grid due to a false start, dropped to the back of the field before attempting a recovery drive. However, his race ended abruptly when he lost control at Turn Five and struck the wall after locking up at Turn Six. Piastri walked away uninjured.

The incident marked Piastri’s first non-scoring finish of the season, bringing an end to his remarkable 34-race points-scoring streak.

McLaren had entered the race with hopes of sealing a second successive Constructors’ Championship, needing to outscore Ferrari by nine points. Piastri led his teammate Lando Norris by 31 points in the Drivers’ standings heading into the race.

Norris, who started seventh on the grid—two places ahead of Piastri—was running in eighth place when the Safety Car was deployed following the crash.

Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen made a clean getaway from pole position and maintained his lead after four laps, followed by Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Racing Bulls rookie Liam Lawson.