Ailing Piastri 'happy to see the end' of Baku weekend

©McLaren

Oscar Piastri just missed out on a top-ten finish in Baku but given his ailing form over the weekend due to a stomach bug, the Aussie was happy to see the chequered flag at the end of the day.

The McLaren rookie arrived in Azerbaijan feeling under the weather, and his condition initially got worse before it improved on Sunday.

Despite his sickness, Piastri acquitted himself well, qualifying P10 for Sunday's race and also concluding F1's Sprint in tenth position.

©McLaren

The 22-year-old apprentice spent almost his entire afternoon on Sunday in the thick of the midfield, between AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda and Williams' Alex Albon, eventually finishing just outside the points in eleventh position.

"We were just lacking a bit of pace in the middle of the race, so there wasn’t really much more we could do," Piastri said.

"Today’s probably been the best I’ve felt all weekend, which isn’t saying much. It’s been very difficult physically, especially yesterday it was pretty rough."

Read also: F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2023 Azerbaijan GP

Retaining his sense of humor, Piastri joked that he was "a lot lighter than I was at the start of the weekend".

“I think I had about four pieces of toast for the whole weekend," he added. "So I need to get some food back in me before Miami.

"It’s been been tough, happy to see the end of it, but I still learnt a lot today on tyre management and stuff like that.

"So we’ll have a look and see what we can do better next time."

McLaren boss Andrea Stella, who at one point was unsure that Piastri would be able to complete his race weekend, praised his driver for "finding the resources" to endure his plight.

"We have had a couple of points during the weekend in which we needed to evaluate 'Is it better to rest now to make sure that we are okay on Sunday?," said Stella when asked about Piastri.

"So I can certainly admit that we have made this evaluation a couple of times, we've been very well supported by our team doctor.

"And the overall medical support I would like to acknowledge has been excellent in assisting Oscar, like his team.

"But Oscar has always been very calm, and 'Okay, let's try, I'll get in the car. If I can't do it, I will box.

"And then he has always found the resources to go through the session. But yes, a couple of points we thought, let's think that we want to be okay on Sunday, not now."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.