Piastri looking to build on F1 points momentum

Oscar Piastri heads into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix looking to build on his first F1 points finish last time out.

The Australian was classified eighth in Melbourne in a double-points paying result for McLaren.

It helped rocket the team to fifth in the constructors’ championship after heading to Albert Park having not scored in the opening two rounds of the year.

The Baku City Circuit is one Piastri knows, having raced there in Formula 2.

“I’m excited to go racing in Baku and I feel rested and ready after the three-week break,” he said.

“I’ve raced here previously in Formula 2 and it’s a cool circuit with the backdrop of the city and the castle.

“It’s a tricky circuit to get right from a car set-up perspective, given the long straight at the end of the lap, combined with the tighter sections of the track.”

McLaren is set to debut an upgrade package this weekend in what it hopes is the first step forward for the year.

The squad started the campaign with a car it acknowledged was not where it hoped it would be.

That has prompted an ‘aggressive’ development programme that will see a B-spec car hit the track before the summer break.

Since Australia, Piastri has been doing his part in pushing the team forward.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work in the simulator to ensure we hit the ground running on Friday, especially given the Sprint format, which I’m looking forward to taking on for the first time in Formula 1,” he said.

“I’ll be hoping to build on the momentum from Australia where I achieved my first-ever F1 points.

“We still have a lot of work to do and a long way to go so I’ll keep my head down and keep working hard.”