Piastri calls McLaren’s Baku Qualifying surge a “big surprise” as he qualifies P3

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Oscar Piastri will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the second row after McLaren’s pace improved in Qualifying. The Australian said P3 was a “big surprise,” pointing out that both McLarens appeared to lack speed during practice and that the team had not been in the pole conversation beforehand, with its best practice position only reaching sixth.

In Q3, however, Piastri and Lando Norris delivered their key laps. Piastri’s best time of 1m 43.364s left him just one thousandth of a second off Charles Leclerc in P2, confirming a very tight margin at the front. Norris, meanwhile, provisionally locked out the front row earlier in the session but ultimately finished fifth fastest in his final run after a lock-up.

Piastri’s qualifying result sets him up for a podium push from P3, although his recent Azerbaijan record is mixed. Formula 1 notes that he won the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix after defending from Leclerc for more than 30 laps, but in 2025 he crashed in Qualifying and again in the race, which dented his title hopes.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Piastri said his outlook remains cautious. He described being “happy” with the team’s race pace seen on Thursday compared with its one-lap pace, while acknowledging the circuit’s “chaos.” He added that it is “difficult to know” what to expect and that the team will need to wait and see.

Norris, who will start fifth, expressed disappointment with the session, attributing the outcome in part to the lock-up and explaining that he was aiming to push rather than settle for a lower finish. He said he did not think P1 was possible given George Russell’s performance, and he pointed to problems with the car that can limit lap time.