After every Formula 1 race, driver Jeroen Bleekemolen shares his observations in an exclusive column for Formule1.nl. Who or what caught his attention, what went well, and what needs to change? This time: the error festival in Azerbaijan, the title stress of Oscar Piastri, and the renewed title chances – or not? – of Max Verstappen.
The unnecessary crash of Oscar Piastri in the opening round of the Azerbaijan GP and the mistakes that preceded it greatly surprised me. We all thought that Oscar Piastri was one of the coolest heads in motorsport, but as the season heads towards its climax, he too is feeling the pressure. I can’t explain his mistakes any other way than title stress. He rarely drops the ball and was – or is – one of the most error-free drivers on the grid, after Max Verstappen.
Oscar Piastri is, of course, not racing for a spot in the midfield, but for the world title. Yet, I did not see these foolish actions in Baku coming from him. Honestly, you would expect this more from his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who has been very open about the mental struggles he sometimes goes through as a top athlete. In my view, the conclusion must be that Piastri and Norris both struggle with pressure, but they express it differently. And now it turns out that the cool frog is less cool than we all thought.
Rare, Foolish Mistake
On Saturday, Piastri already crashed in the qualification, but in the race, he made it even worse on Sunday. He started too early, which I find a very rare, foolish mistake. As a driver, you shouldn’t gamble until the lights go out, that’s too risky. You just have to wait and react quickly. After his false start, the car also went into anti-stall, and then he tried to forcibly make up for the lost places immediately. He was overcompensating, and that ended in the wall. Pure stupidity! Especially after such a bad start, you always have to stay calm in your head, especially knowing that you actually have the best car in the field. On the other hand, McLaren did lack the necessary top speed in Baku, but still, as a driver, you simply cannot make these kinds of mistakes.
For the neutral F1 fan, of course, it’s fun that this happened, because now it’s really exciting. The margin between Piastri and Norris has shrunk a bit, and the latter has gained some confidence. Unlike Piastri. That will be a nice dynamic between the two in the battle for the world title.
Max Remains a Long Shot for the Title
Yes, I’ve read that Max’s name is suddenly being mentioned again as a contender for the title, but that’s not going to happen. It’s a long shot. Of course, if you start calculating theoretically and the McLarens crash out twice more, then anything is possible, but it’s unlikely to go that way. And we shouldn’t assume that Max will win all the remaining races. His car simply isn’t good enough for that.
If you soberly evaluate why he won this race in Baku, it’s because of the qualifying session a day earlier. What he showed there was incredible. The entire field couldn’t beat the fastest time set by Carlos Sainz in dry conditions during Q3 in the rain, but he comfortably beat it. That’s so impressive on a difficult circuit between the walls, in the rain and with gusts of wind that make it hard to know when to brake, but he pulled it off. That’s unique. There’s no other driver who comes close to his level.
It’s clear that the RB21 has really improved since Monza. You can see this in the results of Yuki Tsunoda, who is now also moving further up the field. I think this turnaround is really impressive. It’s mainly about balance and grip, but you can see that the team also has better control over tyre wear. They’ve suddenly found the right window.
Staying Out of the Wall
The next GP is in two weeks in Singapore on a high downforce circuit, which is typically a McLaren track. This makes it a race to look forward to. What can Red Bull do and how will McLaren recover after another painful weekend? I think McLaren is making far too many mistakes. And when you’re heading to another street circuit…
As mentioned, Singapore is a race that traditionally suits McLaren, but even so, you also have to make sure you stay out of the wall there. And that’s easier said than done, especially with the pressure on.
