Oscar Piastri can fight for victory without fear of McLaren team orders in today's Azerbaijan Grand Prix after qualifying on the front row, with teammate and Formula 1 title contender Lando Norris far behind in 17th place.
The build-up to Baku was dominated by McLaren's response to the previous race in Italy, where Norris and Piastri locked out the front row in qualifying but ultimately lost out to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Norris is currently second in the standings, but he trails Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 62 points. Piastri, who is 106 points off the lead, had previously agreed to support Norris if needed.
However, that scenario seems unlikely in Baku, as Norris was dealt a major setback when a yellow flag hampered his final flying lap, preventing him from advancing to the second qualifying phase and is set to start from P17 on the grid today.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised the Australian rookie, who had taken the lead from Norris on the opening lap at Monza, for delivering when it counted: "Very strong to qualify P2 at this track, only beaten by Leclerc, who is a specialist here and has taken multiple pole positions at this circuit.
"It shows that the car is competitive in all conditions and highlights Oscar's maturity and speed. The unfortunate part is that the other car is starting at the back of the grid... we'll do our best to recover points and minimize the damage," Stella added.
Asked if he now had the green light to push for the win, with Leclerc on pole and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz starting third, Piastri responded, "Definitely.
"We can be very optimistic from where we're starting. Our pace is good, but Ferrari is not slow either, so it should be a very exciting race. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do," added the McLaren driver.
Piastri is 62 points behind Red Bull's 2024 F1 World Championship leader and reigning champion Max Verstappen, who will start P6.
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