Oscar Piastri issues McLaren apology after brutal double crash blow

Oscar Piastri has issued an apology to McLaren following his disastrous Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which ended with a shock opening lap crash.

The championship leader made a series of rare mistakes throughout the weekend at the Baku City Circuit, which included two heavy accidents. 

Piastri first crashed in the final minutes of qualifying in tricky conditions, which saw the drivers battle strong gusts and an increasingly slippery surface due to light rainfall. 

He found the wall heavily on the exit of Turn 3, resulting in a major overnight repair job ahead of the grand prix. 

McLaren had to complete a full survival cell change on the Australian's car in order for him to compete in the race, only for him to find the barrier again 52 seconds into it. 

Piastri initially jumped the start which sent his car into anti-stall, causing him to fall to the back of the field. 

He desperately tried to recover in the opening corners, before crashing out at Turn 5 where he was forced to watch the remainder of the race. 

Despite a shocking Azerbaijan GP, Lando Norris only took six points out of his title advantage, which now sits at 25 points with seven rounds remaining. 

Following the grand prix, Piastri issued an apology to McLaren, and urged the Woking-based outfit to push on in Singapore.

"Obviously not the weekend we were looking for in Baku," stated Piastri. "I made a mistake at the start and then locked up. 

"I want to apologise to the team, especially the mechanics after they did such a great job to get my car back together after Qualifying. 

"We just need to keep our heads down, review, and put this one behind us before coming back stronger next race weekend."