Oscar Piastri has now won his first Formula One race completely on merit. His move to overtake Charles Leclerc after stopping for fresh tyres proved to be the deciding factor between him and the Monegasque driver.
The overtake into turn one caught the Ferrari driver who was leading the race by surprise and Piastri later admitted when he arrived at the apex of the corner he felt as though he was heading for the wall. Yet as TV images showed, the Aussie applied some opposite lock to control a rear end slide and made the turn just millimetres from hitting the barrier.
Piastri’s previous and maiden win in F1 was overshadowed by a ten lap long debate over team radio as to whether Lado Norris should hand his team mate the lead of the race having inherited it due to pit stop procedures and the undercut.
Norris dropped at least ten points
With Lando Norris out in the first session of qualifying due to a shocking decision from race control, and starting P17, Piastri didn’t need to concern himself over all the paddock talk about McLaren team orders for the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Piastri in fact has scored more points than any other driver since the chequered flag fell at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Across those seven races the Aussie has collected two wins, three second places and two results just outside the podium places. Yet all the talk surrounding the McLaren team is whether Lando Norris can catch Max Verstappen and win the F1 drivers’ championship this season.
Despite starting P17, Norris had a good race in Baku finishing in P4 and ahead of his Red Bull rival for the title. Lando is now 58 points behind the world champion, but that could easily have been a gap of ten points fewer had McLaren had the race toughness to make difficult calls in Hungary and in Monza which would have given the British driver preference over his team mate.
In Italy McLaren revealed they had a code of conduct for their drivers called “Papaya rules.” Zak Brown claimed after the event this meant the drivers were allowed to race, but must at all times be fair with each other. This code saw Lando Norris hand over the lead of the race in Hungary to Piastri who claimed the victory.
Flashbacks to Ricciardo beating Vettel
With Oscar winning his second Grand Prix in Baku, McLaren’s headache in fact grows as the team move on to this weekends Singapore Grand Prix. The Aussie remains 32 points behind his team mate and with a nigh on a seemingly impossible gap to close on Verstappen of 91 points.
Christian Horner believes McLaren have a headache of their own making and having publicly backed Norris as their challenger to Verstappen, not have to suffer the consequences when the ‘number two driver’ outperforms the chosen one.
“I think the other one [Piastri] is causing them headaches because he’s winning races and he’s doing a very good job,” he told the media in Baku.” Horner compares it with his own experience of new kid Daniel Ricciardo becoming team mates with the then quadruple world champion, Sebastian Vettel.
“It was like when Daniel Ricciardo came to us, he was clearly supposed to be the number two to Sebastian Vettel, and he won three races that year to Sebastian’s none. Sometimes it causes you a headache like that.
McLaren’s headache
“For sure they took Oscar with the expectation, as Mercedes probably did with George [Russell], and Ferrari probably did with Carlos [Sainz], that you have a prime asset and a support asset.
“Of course when the second driver starts outperforming the first driver that’s when you tend to have a headache.”
The fact McLaren have backed Norris for the title meant little in Baku given their drivers were ever running in consecutive positions something Red Bull too found to their amazement as Sergio Perez stormed away from his team mate before his unfortunate demise on the penultimate lap.
When asked about the wisdom of McLaren’s declared position, Horner replied: “Usually those things are dealt with behind closed doors. I’m not actually sure what those rules are. There’s still seems confusion.”
Horner makes strange claim about Perez
No confusion at Red Bull
This confusion does not exist at Red Bull as its clear who is the number one driver and Perez role is to support Max Verstappen.
“Every team is different. Our rules of engagement are very clear,” said the Red Bull team boss.
“We’ve got a driver that’s fighting for a World Championship. It’s a team sport so it’s very clear Checo’s job is to support Max to the end of the year.”
For now the F1 gods fated that McLaren’s head scratching will continue into Singapore. Should Piastri close the gap again to his team mate the ever evolving papaya rules may need another tweak or two.
Red Bull’s new bendy wing to restore the advantage
Norris paid 5 times Piastri’s wages
“Different teams operate in different ways. When you’ve got an asset like Max Verstappen, you don’t make him a number two driver,” Horner continued.
“Lando Norris, they are paying five times what they pay Oscar, so I would assume that he would be their number one driver, or the biggest asset.
“So therefore the confusion comes when you are not upfront from the beginning about what your plans are.”
McLaren reportedly gave Oscar Piastri joint number one billing in his new race contract which Horner clearly thinks is ridiculous. This may be due to Oscar’s manager being a certain Mark Webber, who knew exactly what it was like to play number two to Sebastian Vettel.
Norris claims he helped Piastri win
McLaren must decided on one
“It becomes a very difficult problem to manage, because you split the team and the rules of engagement become very difficult. Everybody knows probably who the number one and two is, but if you’re not upfront with the drivers, you end up with confusion”, Horner concludes.
“At the beginning of the season obviously it’s all open but certainly when you get to around the halfway point you’ve got to pick a horse, especially if you’re in a championship battle.”
And after a drive through the field like no one else has achieved this season, its time for McLaren to do as Horner says, pick Norris as their number one ‘horse.’
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Daniel Ricciardo’s Racing Bulls future in doubt: Could Singapore be the end as speculation mounts over the Australian’s F1 career while Red Bull changes it’s long-term strategy – Daniel Ricciardo, one of the most recognisable names in Formula One, could be facing the end of his career in the sport, with rumours swirling that the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix could be his last. With 256 races under his belt, the 257th could be the final chapter in a celebrated, albeit turbulent, career.
Recent reports from respected F1 journalist Adam Cooper suggest that the Racing Bulls team, an integral part of the Red Bull family, are “exploring all options” regarding Ricciardo’s future, with a decision possibly being made after the Singapore race. If the signs are anything to go by, Ricciardo’s place on the grid is under serious threat and the Singapore race could be a defining moment for his future with the team… READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
