Jacques Villeneuve has criticised Oscar Piastri for a "rookie mistake" that cost the Australian a podium finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The nine-time Formula One race winner locked his front wheels while defending third place against Isack Hadjar heading into turn one, missed the corner and was forced to take the run-off area.
Because the field had just been bunched up by a safety car, there were no gaps for Piastri to rejoin the track until it was safe to do so, and he returned to the race second-from-last of the cars still running. He eventually finished 14th, capping a difficult day for McLaren, who left Baku without points after Lando Norris was taken out by Franco Colapinto a few laps earlier.
Villeneuve's verdict
Speaking on Sky Sports, where he worked as an analyst over the weekend, 1997 world champion Villeneuve offered no sympathy for Piastri. "It was a rookie mistake – he got caught out, looking in his mirrors, and just completely missed [his braking point]. It's the truth. Mistakes happen. You push too hard, but then you can see he was looking in his mirrors and just completely missed," he said.
Piastri has had a difficult season so far, remaining winless in 2026 despite having won seven Grands Prix last year, while team-mate Norris has managed two victories this season in the other McLaren. The latest incident deepened his frustration, and he admitted after the race that he did not know how it happened.
Piastri's reaction
"I need to go and look because it certainly took me by surprise. I didn't think I braked super late or super hard. Just instantly locked both fronts, so I need to obviously look at that. It's just a disappointing end to the day. I think the first half of the race was very strong so, yeah, a shame to not have anything to show for it," Piastri said.
While he received no sympathy from Villeneuve, fellow Sky Sports analyst Jamie Chadwick suggested the double lock-up was "odd" and hinted it could be linked to McLaren's tricky car. "I had his radio on before and there was a lot of complaining generally from both McLaren drivers about struggling to get the best out of their car. Lando gets coached quite a lot throughout the lap in terms of where he can improve, where he can find performance. At the end of the day, you draw a line, and it's a mistake. Even Oscar Piastri needs to look at it, but it's rare that you see a double lock-up like that from a driver like that. It seemed odd to me, though," she said.
