Baku witnessed an Oscar Piastri masterclass on Sunday, with a brilliant overtake helping the McLaren driver secure his second-ever F1 win. Running in P2, the Aussie driver darted his car inside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, narrowly avoiding contact. However, none of it would have been possible had Piastri listened to his race engineer.
Piastri detailed the events leading up to his race-winning overtake in an interview with F1 media. On new tires, his race engineer, Tom Stallard, advised him not to push too hard against Leclerc, who was ahead at the time. However, Piastri chose to ignore the advice.
“I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres,” he said. “So, my engineer came on the radio and said, ‘Let’s not do that again’, basically.”
He added, “I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside.”
Tom: “Let’s be smart here.”
Oscar: “I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that in my first stint and completely cooked my tyres. So my engineer came on the radio and said ‘Let’s not do that again’, basically, and I completely ignored him the next… pic.twitter.com/oDNumVaCkQ— did oscar score points in f1 today? (@oscarpiastri81) September 15, 2024
Piastri knew he might not get another chance to overtake Leclerc later in the race, which is why he felt the lunge was necessary. It was a high-risk, high-reward moment—a 50/50 move of sorts—for the Melbourne-born driver, and it paid off.
For the next 30 laps, Leclerc was hot on Piastri’s tail, trying to retake the lead. He continuously recharged his batteries and used the DRS to attempt a lunge in the same turn where he had lost the lead. However, Piastri defended lap after lap, ultimately securing the win.
Leclerc’s ‘Baku Curse’ continues
Speaking to the media after the race, Leclerc admitted his mistake in losing the Azerbaijan GP lead to Piastri. The Monegasque did not see the overtake coming in time and, as a result, was unable to defend. He stated that he could have been more aggressive at the end of the straight before turn one, closing the door on Piastri and preventing the move from materializing.
Is this now the Baku curse for Charles Leclerc? https://t.co/ky5mBCZ15m
— Circuit Fever (@circuit_fever) September 15, 2024
The P2 finish added to Leclerc’s frustration, as he had hoped to erase a blemish from his career. For the fourth consecutive year, the Monegasque driver failed to win on the streets of Baku despite starting from pole position—his Baku curse continues.
Though there were moments when he came close to overtaking Piastri, the Aussie did just enough to keep the 26-year-old at bay.
