Piastri's brilliance is both saving and causing problems for McLaren
OPINION: Oscar Piastri was McLaren’s hero in Baku, where the pre-event angst over team orders was quietened by Lando Norris’s qualifying misfortune. The Australian is hitting new personal heights in rapid time in Formula 1, and is part of the juggling act the team is grappling with in 2024
What a problem to have. In Oscar Piastri, McLaren has a driver capable of winning the hardest, best races of the current Formula 1 era – as took place at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
But its other driver remains its best hope of winning this season’s drivers’ title – with all the glory and emotion that accolade evokes.
Share Or Save This Story
Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.
A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.
More from Alex Kalinauckas
How Hulkenberg transformed his F1 career with Haas
The critical element Haas needed for Hulkenberg to crack an old F1 weakness
What happened the last time Verstappen did community service
Norris 'proud’ of McLaren’s mini-DRS effect after Baku impact intrigue
Norris warns F1 will lose "rawness" if FIA radio clampdown on swearing happens
Magnussen: FIA "punishing ridiculous things" in "not the F1 I love"
Has Qatar overtaken Singapore as F1's hardest race?
The two Hulkenberg errors that boosted Colapinto and Bearman in Baku
Latest news
Sammy Smith upsets the playoff picture with Talladega Xfinity win
Michael McDowell earns Talladega Cup pole for Front Row Motorsports
Denny Hamlin would "love to see change" in NASCAR after lawsuit
DTM rivals question Lamborghini’s “overperformance” in Spielberg races
Prime
How Hulkenberg transformed his F1 career with Haas
Why even F1’s cleverest minds get lost in explaining rollercoaster season
Can Alpine’s latest regime change shift its course?
What happened the last time Verstappen did community service
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.