Oscar Piastri finds himself in need of a result after hitting a rough patch of form over the last few Formula 1 races.
The Aussie has only won two of the last eight races, and was lucky not to be punished further for his retirement at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. McLaren had a messy weekend in Baku, but it’s no excuse for Piastri, who looked well off the boil.
In the drivers’ championship, the 23-year-old still holds a commanding 25-point lead, but one retirement could see that wiped completely. The upcoming Singapore Grand Prix is well known for throwing up variables without warning, as well.
Piastri has ‘lost his temper’ at McLaren, according to Juan Pablo Montoya, who thinks he is starting to feel the pressure of a title fight. It has already been made clear that McLaren won’t prioritise Piastri ‘now’ as Red Bull and Max Verstappen begin to pose a threat again. There could be a three-way fight in the last seven races.
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Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty ImagesJolyon Palmer warns Oscar Piastri he could face ‘similar issues’ to Baku at the Singapore Grand Prix
Piastri’s ‘miserable’ Baku opening lap helped to highlight many of the struggles he had faced throughout the weekend, as well as earlier in the season at Monaco. For some reason, he hasn’t been able to adapt to street circuits very well in 2025.
His first retirement in nearly two years at Azerbaijan is a sign that things would not go to plan for him. Teammate Lando Norris finishing seventh also shows that the track didn’t exactly play to the strengths of their car.
Jolyon Palmer fears that Singapore may present much of the same for Piastri, who needs to find a way to extract some speed and consistency from his MCL39 if he doesn’t want his championship lead to be cut into any further.
“Normally, I’d say park it [Baku issues] and look ahead,” Palmer told the F1 Nation Podcast. “The problem is the next track is Singapore, so there’s similar issues. The street circuit is there again. If you make mistakes, you’re going to find the barriers, you’re going to be on the back foot.
“The other weekend this year, where I thought he has looked scrappy, was actually Monaco. And he got away with it, but I can’t remember the amount of time Oscar hit the wall in Monaco, and got away with it. It seemed like every day, almost every session there was an ‘Oh, Piastri is in the wall!’”
READ MORE: David Brabham tells Oscar Piastri why his Azerbaijan Grand Prix crash could be a ‘blessing’
Oscar Piastri is ‘very keen’ to get to work at the Singapore Grand Prix
After his Baku crash, Piastri made a ‘sudden’ change, according to 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, who believes that he is adapting to a new situation.
Looking ahead to Singapore, Piastri spoke in an official preview of the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix about how he’s eager to get back behind the wheel, and get back to the top once more.
“I’m very keen to get back in the cockpit,” he said. “On paper and with the temperatures involved in Singapore, our car has been proven to be comfortable in the past and with that in mind, I’m looking forward to a really positive weekend.
“Singapore is the closest race to Australia in terms of distance, so we’ve always seen a great Australian contingent there cheering on their drivers at one of the best night races of the season. It’s great having that additional support.”