Phone, folding chair, banana, and chocolate: the “gift” from the marshals to Oscar Piastri after the Baku crash. After crashing out at the Azerbaijan GP, Oscar Piastri was welcomed by marshals.

Oscar Piastri’s horror weekend in Baku

After a mistake at the start, Oscar Piastri ended his Azerbaijan GP Sunday much earlier than expected, crashing into the barriers at turn 6 after locking up his front left tire in a desperate attempt to recover positions during the chaotic opening laps. It was a decidedly negative way to close an already difficult weekend, although the Australian driver found a bit of comfort and human warmth at the marshals’ post along the track, enjoying a privileged view of the Baku GP. The 24-year-old from Melbourne, who remains the Formula 1 World Championship leader with a 25-point advantage over teammate Lando Norris and 69 points over race winner Max Verstappen, remained in the spotlight even after retiring, caught on the international broadcast sitting on a small chair beyond the safety barriers.

Marshals welcome Oscar Piastri

The track marshals provided everything the young McLaren driver could need to enjoy the GP as a spectator, right at the turn where the number 81 MCL39 ended its race. The “supply” of essential items to Oscar Piastri was confirmed by the @ChardonyBrutt account, belonging to one of the marshals stationed at turn 6, on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

The marshal responded to a tweet from a fan wondering why drivers had access to a phone immediately after leaving an F1 car. Oscar Piastri was given a smartphone, allowing him to follow the race live, since it was not easy to see the giant screen from that position, oriented toward the grandstand. Completing the essentials, the marshals also provided a folding chair, a couple of bottles of water, a banana, and a chocolate bar. However, the same marshal noted in one of his posts that “even though we tried to lift his spirits, he didn’t eat anything.”