McLaren team principal Andrea Stella compared world championship leader Oscar Piastri to seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher as he backed the Australian to bounce back from an error-filled weekend in Azerbaijan.
Piastri suffered his first DNF of the season after uncharacteristically crashing out of qualifying and then repeating the error on the opening lap of the race at the challenging Baku City Circuit.
The 24-year-old’s lead over his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris was reduced to 25 points, while Max Verstappen claimed a second successive victory to revive Red Bull hope that he could pull off a historic comeback to win a fifth successive drivers’ title.
After a weekend off, the season resumes this weekend with the Singapore Grand Prix, at which Stella is confident Piastri will return to form.
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Anthony Davidson was at the SkyPad to review Oscar Piastri’s first lap crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
“I’ve worked with multi-champion drivers and in every season, even the most dominant, even one of the best drivers in the history of Formula 1, like Michael Schumacher, I have seen events like this,” said Stella, who was Schumacher’s performance engineer at Ferrari from 2002-2006.
“Events in which the most you take away is the learning, because things become, for some reasons, difficult, and as soon as you misjudge the grip available, you get highly punished.
“So, a one-off for what has been probably the most solid driver in this season, a one-off weekend in which things don’t go your way, and you ultimately have lots to review.
“So, it’s no surprise, no exception that we should be worried about, because this has happened to pretty much all champions, even the ones with the best track record.”
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Speaking on The F1 Show podcast, Jamie Chadwick reflects on Oscar Piastri’s ‘exceptionally bad weekend’ at the Azerbaijan GP
After a spin in treacherous wet conditions following a sudden downpour at the opening race of the season in Australia, Piastri had avoided major errors over the next 15 rounds.
After finishing ninth in Melbourne, his consistency enabled him to score 14 podiums across the next 15 races, with a fourth place in Canada the only time he was outside the top three.
Stella reiterated after the race in Baku that he believed Piastri had already moved on from his errors.
“Oscar comes out with no points and lots of learning,” Stella added.
“I’ve already had a chat with Oscar and his mind is already fully functional, processing, he’s already into, ‘that’s what I’ve learned, I look forward to the next one’.
Sky Sports F1’s Singapore GP Schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Singapore Grand Prix
Thursday October 2
12pm: Drivers’ press conference
3pm: Paddock Uncut
Friday October 3
8.05am: F1 Academy Practice
10am: Singapore Grand Prix Practice One (session starts at 10.30am)
11.55am: F1 Academy Qualifying
12.40pm: Team principals’ press conference
1.45pm: Singapore Grand Prix Practice Two (session starts at 2pm)
3.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday October 4
7.55am: F1 Academy Race 1
10.15am: Singapore Grand Prix Practice Three (session starts at 10.30am)
1pm: Singapore Grand Prix Qualifying build-up
2pm: SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING*
4pm: Ted’s Quali Notebook
Sunday October 5
8.20am: F1 Academy Race 2
11.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Singapore GP build-up
1pm: THE SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
3pm: Chequered Flag: Singapore GP reaction
4pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2025 Formula 1 title fight continues under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
