Mark Webber shields ‘only human’ Oscar Piastri after Baku blunders

Oscar Piastri’s uncharacteristic meltdown in Baku may have roots in the Monza controversy a week earlier, according to former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos.

The McLaren star crashed in qualifying and then jumped the start on Sunday, compounding a disastrous weekend as Max Verstappen closed the gap with back-to-back pole-to-flag wins. "It’s striking this happened just after Monza, where there was a bit of friction," Doornbos told Ziggo Sport.

"Piastri had to give away six points to (Lando) Norris because he had a slow pitstop. That was a strange situation."

He noted McLaren’s pitstop woes persisted in Baku, saying: "They have a serious problem there. I don’t think Oscar feels good about that."

Doornbos also revealed he exchanged messages with Piastri’s manager Mark Webber, himself a former Red Bull driver.

"I was texting with his manager. He said Oscar is only human. Let’s not forget he doesn’t have a lot of experience compared to, say, Max Verstappen."

While many believe Verstappen’s title defence is already lost given his deficit to the two McLaren drivers, Doornbos warned against writing the Dutchman off. "There is danger. McLaren makes so many mistakes, both with the drivers and during pitstops. That’s still astonishing," he said.

On Ziggo’s De Stamtafel program, he even ran the maths. "If Max wins everything, and Piastri always finishes third, Max wins the title. It’s possible.

"In 2013 Sebastian Vettel won the last nine races for Red Bull and became champion. Anything is possible, Abu Dhabi has seen crazier finales."