PALMER: Was Baku a one-off for Piastri or is the title pressure taking its toll?

Oscar Piastri had a tough weekend in Baku, crashing in Qualifying, dropping to the very back of the pack after a botched race start, and then crashing again on the opening lap.

The race start was as big a mistake as you can get for a championship contender at this phase of the season. It’s elementary, but it proves that ice-cool Oscar feels pressure and emotion like the rest of us.

From ninth on the grid, things were looking routine for Piastri on Sunday as he lined up perfectly in his grid box, found his optimal pre-start revs of 9,500rpm and hovered his foot there waiting for the lights to go out. This should have left him in good stead for a decent launch and a charge through the field over a 51-lap Grand Prix.