{"id":903341,"date":"2026-09-24T05:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/903341\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T05:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:04:12","slug":"azerbaijan-grand-prix-oscar-piastri-targets-turnaround-at-baku-circuit-after-challenging-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/903341\/","title":{"rendered":"Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Oscar Piastri targets turnaround at Baku circuit after challenging 2026 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ian Chadband<\/p>\n

September 24, 2026 \u2014 11:33am<\/p>\n

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Oscar Piastri says he\u2019s looking forward to the next intriguing chapter of his \u201clove-hate\u201d relationship with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he targets a different run of results compared to last year\u2019s end-of-season collapse.<\/p>\n

It was on the Baku street circuit in 2024 that the Australian enjoyed one of his finest wins in Formula 1<\/a>, but last year\u2019s edition brought him down to earth with a spectacular bump when he appeared to be flying to the drivers\u2019 title.<\/p>\n

\"OscarOscar Piastri in Baku ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend.Getty Images<\/p>\n

It may be illusory, but it feels as if the Victorian has never been quite the same driver since his 2025 calamity when, leading the drivers\u2019 championship by 31 points, he endured his weekend from hell, hitting the wall in qualifying, then jumping the gun in the race itself before stalling and eventually crashing<\/a> once more.<\/p>\n

It was the prelude to a miserable run as teammate Lando Norris snatched the title<\/a>, and he\u2019s seemingly been struggling to get to grips with his 2026 McLaren MCL40 this year too.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s lying seventh in the drivers\u2019 championship and coming off a dispiriting eighth place at the Spanish Grand Prix<\/a>, yet he\u2019s still publicly putting on a brave face while sitting 66 points adrift of fourth-placed Norris.<\/p>\n

Asked to describe his relationship with the Baku track, Piastri admitted on Wednesday: \u201cLove-hate in some ways.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think probably my best race ever has been at this track \u2013 and probably my worst race ever has been at this track. So, always eventful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always a big confidence track, and obviously, you need to push the limits a lot. It\u2019s quite a rare combination of a street circuit with so many massive braking zones. So yeah, it\u2019s an interesting track, but hopefully this year is more like 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n

Piastri, who\u2019s had no wins and only two podium finishes in 2026, was asked if he felt he was turning a corner with his McLaren, to which he responded: \u201cA little bit, yes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe progress isn\u2019t linear. You\u2019re always going to find some things that work, go down some paths that don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

\"OscarOscar Piastri watches on after crashing out in the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still very much kind of in that phase at the moment. I think last weekend in Madrid the car was quick eventually, but again very, very difficult to get the lap time out of it … but I feel like we\u2019re making progress and at least exploring different things. Some are working, some aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019re not standing still, which is the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

It sounded as if Piastri feels McLaren are investing more engineering resources behind him as he agreed: \u201cYes, I\u2019ve definitely felt that we\u2019re throwing everything we can at trying to improve, which has been good.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, there\u2019s only so many things you can do without just jumping in the car and trying stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it\u2019s been a very good team response in trying to improve things as quickly as we can and feel like I\u2019m being well supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

AAP<\/p>\n

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