Oscar Piastri ‘had a lot less to lose’ in qualifying as he outlines plan to take early race lead in Baku

After qualifying on the front row in back-to-back races, Oscar Piastri is targeting polesitter Charles Leclerc to claim the race lead in Baku and finish McLaren’s rollercoaster weekend on a high.

The papaya team’s drivers found themselves at opposite ends of the grid after qualifying in P2 and P17 respectively for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as Lando Norris fell victim to yellow flags in Q1 and failed to improve his lap time.

For his Australian team mate, the session was much more optimistic as he missed out on pole position by just over three-tenths, meaning he will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix sandwiched between the Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

With McLaren in a close battle in the constructors’ championship, it will be down to Piastri to claim a significant points haul to keep them in the fight, especially as rivals Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes will start all of their drivers in the top 10.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 14: Pole position qualifier Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri and Third placed Carlos Sainz pose for a photo during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — Piastri will go up against the Ferrari pair for the race win

Speaking after qualifying, he explained that amid tight competition he found extra time after he “got a bit closer to the walls”, adding that he was “a bit too close” on the last lap.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the qualifying action from Baku as Leclerc claims pole while Norris suffers bombshell Q1 exit

“[I] just tried to really get the most out of it,” Piastri said. “This track really rewards commitment, so on the last laps in Q3 I knew I had a lot less to lose so I just tried to maximise the car. It was feeling good all the way through, just didn’t maximise it much in the first part of qualifying, but very happy with Q3.

“I think following around here is going to be really tough. We saw yesterday that it was pretty tough once you get behind someone, so hopefully I can get some clean air and that would be good. We’ll see what we can do. I think our race pace is good but again, the Ferrari’s certainly not slow.”

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 14: Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit. (Photo by Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) — Piastri could claim his sixth podium finish of the season in Baku

He also admitted: “I maybe lost a little bit of time in a couple of places, but not enough to get Charles [Leclerc] today. Overall, I’m happy with the job I did. It puts us in a good spot for tomorrow.”

The McLaren duo’s contrasting qualifying results come after the team indicated that they would prioritise Norris in the championship, but Piastri stated that he is “definitely” free to chase down his second race victory this weekend.

Asked whether he was planning to pass Leclerc into Turn 1, he said: “Yeah, definitely try and get into the lead. Clean air is beneficial everywhere so that would make life easier. I’m on the dirty side of the grid so that’s not going to help, but that’s definitely the plan.”