McLaren’s Oscar Piastri had a tough weekend in Azerbaijan on and off the track, as the Australian driver battled with health issues, hurting his performance.
The Papaya team only managed to leave Baku with 2 points after failing to score points in the Sprint race and Lando Norris only just managing to secure P9 in the Grand Prix.
Piastri’s chances were hurt by a stomach bug that left him only able to consume four pieces of toast all weekend, resulting in him losing 3 kilogrammes.
Piastri opened up about his uncomfortable weekend, revealing the impact of the illness on his performance in Baku.
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“Through the race, the illness didn’t impact me too much but I’m a lot lighter than I was at the start of the weekend,” Piastri told reporters.
“Today’s probably been the best I’ve felt all weekend but that isn’t saying much. It’s been very difficult, physically. Especially (the sprint Saturday) was pretty rough.
“I’ve had about four pieces of toast for the whole weekend, so I need to get some food back in me before (the next grand prix in) Miami.”
“Fighting spirit shown all weekend, despite being ill. Proud of your effort, @OscarPiastri (and the Doc)!” McLaren added on Twitter.
McLaren team engineer Tom Stallard stated over the team radio after the race that Piastri’s performance was “pretty b***** impressive given everything else that’s been going on this weekend.”
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Despite the tough result, McLaren was optimistic that their new upgrades will help them to be more competitive in the coming races, as teams now turn their focus to Miami.
McLaren are currently in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, just 6 points ahead of Alpine and over 166 points behind title leaders Red Bull.
In the Drivers’ Standings, Norris sits in P9, while Piastri is in P11, as the midfield battle proves to be quite competitive this year.