Photo: Race Pictures

Piastri admits McLaren not easy to handle in Baku: ‘A few tricky moments’

09:06, 20 Sep

Updated: 10:18, 20 Sep

byOlly Darcy

Oscar Piastri navigated "a few tricky moments" at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after almost ending Friday's running just like teammate Lando Norris did.

I think the pace is there; it is just not the easiest to get the most out of it.

- Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri leads Lando Norris by 31 points in the drivers' standings | Photo: Race Pictures

During free practice two around the Baku City Circuit, Norris' session came to a premature end after he hit the wall at turn 4 and broke the suspension of his McLaren.

Piastri almost followed suit in the same session, but he managed to keep his MCL39 out of the wall, finishing the session in P12 to cap off a disrupted day.

"It's been a bit tricky and just a bit up and down," the Australian stated, explaining his Friday running to F1TV.

"I think the pace is there; it is just not the easiest to get the most out of it. It is a little bit tricky.

"We tried a few things in FP2. I'm sure we will look back and see what we can change for tomorrow. But I think it is going to be a bit different with tyre choices and stuff like that.

"I think there are still a lot of positives from today, but there were just a few tricky moments too."

Piastri's topsy-turvey Friday

It was a day full of ups and downs for the current championship leader during the first day of on-track action in Baku.

Piastri's FP1 session was almost over after just five minutes, with a power unit issue forcing him back to the garage as the McLaren mechanics worked on his machine.

However, after some super work during the red flag delay, the Australian went back out for the remainder of the session, going on to finish just behind Norris as McLaren took a one-two finish.

FP2 did not have the same success, however, with Norris unable to finish the session due to his crash and suspension damage. Piastri almost followed suit after he brushed the wall, nearly prematurely ending his Friday running as Ferrari impressed with a one-two finish of their own.

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