BAKU, Azerbaijan – Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the first lap of the race, handing a massive chance for Lando Norris to reignite the title fight.
Piastri, who leads McLaren teammate Norris by 31 points, appeared to have a nervy, sluggish getaway off the line and dropped to the back of the field.
As he made his way around the first lap, he slid off at Turn 5 and hit the wall, ending his race immediately and bringing to an end his 34-race streak of finishing in the points.
“Sorry guys,” Piastri said on the radio, before climbing out of the car.
Norris started from seventh and will now look to take a chunk out of the points gap.
Piastri’s crash triggered a safety car, continuing the drama of the weekend – Saturday’s qualifying session featured a record six red flag stoppages, one of which was for PIastri’s crash in Q3.
Replays also suggested Piastri had slightly jumped the start – the Australian is under investigation for the moment, which could mean a further penalty to come down the line.
Fernando Alonso, who started directly behind Piastri in 11th has been given a five-second penalty for jumping the start.