Juan Pablo Montoya makes ‘nobody’s seen before’ claim about Oscar Piastri after Baku crash

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Oscar Piastri suffered a serious dent to his championship aspirations after crashing out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Mistakes have been extremely rare from the McLaren driver since joining the F1 grid in 2023. But the 2025 championship leader made two crucial errors at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that saw him walk away with no points for the first time this season.

Piastri crashed in qualifying at turn three, bringing out the sixth red flag of the day. Teammate and title rival Lando Norris could not capitalise as he struggled for grip on the track, ending up in P7.

Jacques Villeneuve felt Piastri was ‘driving erratically’ in Baku after his crash on Saturday. That trend continued on race day as the Aussie jumped the start, before his MCL39 went into anti-stall, dropping him to last.

His miserable weekend ended just four corners later as Piastri crashed out on the opening lap after locking the front while trying to pass Esteban Ocon. His lead in the championship is now down to 25 points after Norris finished seventh on the road.

Juan Pablo Montoya says Oscar Piastri is showing a side of him that ‘nobody’s seen before’ after Baku crash

It has been a tough couple of races for the championship leader as his McLaren teammate has had the better of him in Monza and Baku. Pressure is beginning to mount on Piastri, whom many refer to as the next ‘Iceman’ due to his cool demeanour.

Speaking on F1 TV’s Post-Race Show in Baku, former McLaren driver Juan Pablo Montoya felt that Piastri showed a side of him that ‘nobody’s seen before’ due to his mistakes. It has allowed Max Verstappen to come closer in the title picture, with his win putting him 69 points behind the Aussie.

Asked if Verstappen could win the title from this position, Montoya said: “Realistically, I would say no, but anything can happen. I don’t want to go: ‘No, it would never happen!’ But honestly, I don’t see it.

“I think the big question for us is where we were talking earlier, McLaren. What’s going to happen there?

“Because, we’re starting to see a side of Oscar that nobody’s seen before. I don’t even think Oscar’s seen it before. He went to Monza and said: ‘Oh, I’m in a comfortable position but I’m not going to change my approach’.

“And I actually said it in Monza, whether you like it or not, mentally, you are going to change your approach, because you’re going to start double-guessing yourself.

“One side is: ‘I’m not pushing enough because I don’t need to’ and then you want to prove to yourself that you are pushing enough and then you throw the car in the wall.”

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How have people reacted to Oscar Piastri’s disaster in Baku?

Piastri was left only ‘blaming’ himself for his Baku performance. He will need to bounce back strong in Singapore after several costly mistakes last weekend.

Piastri avoided a grid penalty for the next race despite jumping the start in Baku. He was handed a five-second time penalty for the infringement, but as he could not serve it due to his crash, it does not carry over as a grid penalty for the next event.

The Aussie is lucky not to be at a disadvantage in Singapore, but he desperately needs to move on and have a convincing weekend. Piastri took a ‘corner off his car’ for the ‘first time’ in his career, according to people around him.

Norris made an ‘incredible’ comment about Piastri after the race, recognising his talents despite his difficult weekend in Azerbaijan. McLaren will be looking to improve in Singapore after scoring just six points last weekend.