Piastri held second place through the opening corner of the Baku race, overtaking Charles Leclerc and holding off Max Verstappen's early pressure. He maintained position through the first safety car restart but lost ground to Verstappen before a second safety car reset the field. On the 40th lap, defending his third position against Isack Hadjar at Turn 1, both of Piastri's front brakes locked up simultaneously, sending him off the track and down the order in a single moment.
The incident wiped out what would have been Piastri's first podium since Miami in May. Instead of scoring points, he finished 14th, his second consecutive race without a result. McLaren scored no points in Azerbaijan, with teammate Lando Norris also failing to score after a collision at the opening corner.
Piastri said the lock-up "certainly took me by surprise," telling reporters he did not brake late or hard before both fronts locked. "I didn't think I braked super late or super hard – just instantly locked both fronts, so I need to look at that," he said, noting he would review the data to understand whether a bump in the road or another factor caused the failure.
The setback extends Piastri's difficult 2026 season, in which he has scored just two podiums so far. Norris has taken two wins in the previous five races, widening the gap between the teammates.