Oscar Piastri says he was worse than ever in one area at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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Oscar Piastri enjoyed a superb qualifying ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, qualifying on the front row of the grid behind Charles Leclerc.

The Australian driver was comfortably beaten to pole position by Leclerc, who enjoyed a margin of three-tenths of a second at the front of the field.

Before qualifying, McLaren was the subject of much discussion about team orders, but due to Lando Norris‘ poor qualifying, he will start in 17th place. This should reduce the chance of team orders being a factor.

Piastri will likely be the team’s best chance of winning at the Baku City Circuit, although McLaren are happy after qualifying despite a mixed day for the team.

The Australian driver feels he could have gone even quicker despite setting a time good enough to qualify in second place behind Leclerc.

Oscar Piastri claimed after the session that it was ‘the messiest lap’ he had ever completed

The Baku City Circuit is a track that rewards drivers who push the limits and get close to the walls over the lap, maximising the width of the circuit.

Piastri gets very close to the barriers, mainly at Turn 15, where many drivers up and down the grid have been pushing to the maximum.

READ MORE: What Ted Kravitz noticed about ‘speechless’ Lando Norris in Azerbaijan Grand Prix interview

The McLaren driver still has an excellent opportunity to take victory tomorrow despite missing out on pole position. Leclerc has failed to convert any of his previous three pole positions in Baku.

Piastri said on the team radio that he didn’t deliver a clean lap: “Thanks, guys. That was probably the messiest lap I’ve ever done in my life.”

Oscar Piastri may suffer without Lando Norris at the front of the field

Norris’ lacklustre qualifying means that McLaren will have just one car at the front of the field, and they won’t be able to split their strategies at the sharp end of the grid.

Red Bull and Ferrari both have two cars at the front, which allows them to try different options throughout the race.

It will also be quite difficult for his teammate to pick his way through the midfield if multiple cars have the benefit of DRS in front of him. Norris was also dejected after his lacklustre result at a critical stage of the title fight.

The fine margins around the circuit will also make it vital to not make mistakes as they are easily punished in Azerbaijan.