New Oscar Piastri crash analysis emerges as Nico Hulkenberg role teased

Oscar Piastri will be desperate to move on quickly from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a nightmare race weekend for the Championship leader.

After crashing out in qualifying, Piastri suffered a false start which saw him drop all the way to the back of the pack. His recovery mission swiftly ended in the wall with analysis from Sky F1’s Anthony Davidson suggesting a wide Nico Hulkenberg may have played a part in Piastri’s race-ending crash.

Did Nico Hulkenberg ‘goad’ Oscar Piastri into crash?

McLaren went into the Azerbaijan GP looking to secure the Constructors’ Championship. When both Piastri and Norris hit the wall in qualifying, that task became a lot harder.

And the achievement was officially put on hold on Lap 1. Piastri jumped the start, went into anti-stall, and saw the pack charge past him as he got up to speed.

Piastri had already clawed back a few positions by the time he reached Turn 5, but locked-up and steamed into the Tecpro barrier, ending his race.

Analysing the championship’s leader’s crash on Sky F1, Davidson pointed out that Hulkenberg in the Sauber ahead may have indirectly influenced Piastri’s crash, by goading him into a braking point which was too late.

“It didn’t put him off initially,” said Davidson of Piastri’s false start. “He was quick to start making positions again.

“He took it easy through Turn 2. Like Max [Verstappen] was saying in the driver cooldown room, everyone was just sort of taking it pretty easy on these cold tyres at the start of the race.

“But he was up to speed by the time you get to Turn 3, and getting past [Alex] Albon in the Williams straight away into that corner. And then he’s on the attack with [Pierre] Gasly on the right hand side as well. Picks up another position there, around the outside of Turn 4 he goes.

“Now he’s got the Hass there of [Esteban] Ocon and slots in behind him. This is where it all goes wrong, in Turn 5.

“So what I believe happens here is that he’s got Hulkenberg in front of him, trying to make a move around the outside of one of the Hass drivers, and I think, in a way, goads Piastri into thinking, ‘That’s where I brake.’ But Hulkenberg runs wide himself, very wide, actually.

“I think it’s that moment, to give Oscar some credit here, or some let off, is that I think he’s just following in another driver that is also going quite deep, and you sort of judge the gap between yourself and the other car, and I think that’s what’s caught him out here, and that’s what’s ultimately ended up in the barrier.

“So I think if the car in front of him, Hulkenberg, had been a bit easier on the brakes, naturally, that would have made Oscar brake a bit earlier as well.”

However, despite that nod towards Hulkenberg influence, Davidson conceded: “But, giving him excuses there, the calibre that he is as a driver leading the World Championship, you shouldn’t, as difficult as this day is, you shouldn’t really be expecting mistakes like that when you’re at his level.

“So, really disappointing weekend.”

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When Piastri debriefed his false start and crash with Sky F1, there was no mention of Hulkenberg, only the full acceptance of blame for his own mistakes.

“Certainly not my finest moment,” he said. “Just anticipated the start too much. Silly, simple error, really, with that.

“And then the crash, just didn’t anticipate the dirty air in the way I should have, and clearly went into the corner way too hot and that was that.”

Asked if this simply came down to trying to make up places after a bad start, Piastri replied: “Potentially. The grip level was low, but I should know that.

“So, certainly not blaming it on anything other than myself, just, yeah, didn’t make the judgment calls that I needed to at the right time. And that’s obviously disappointing.”

Piastri was somewhat let off the hook by the fact teammate, and title rival, Lando Norris, managed P7 only on a difficult weekend for McLaren.

The Australian’s lead over Norris has nonetheless shrunk to 25 points with seven rounds to go.

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