BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the first lap of the race, handing a massive chance for Lando Norris to reignite the title fight.
Piastri, who leads McLaren teammate Norris by 31 points, appeared to have a nervy, sluggish getaway off the line and dropped to the back of the field.
As he made his way around the first lap, he slid off at Turn 5 and hit the wall, ending his race immediately and bringing to an end his 34-race streak of finishing in the points.
"Sorry, guys," Piastri said on the radio, before climbing out of the car.
Norris started from seventh and will now look to take a chunk out of the points gap.
Piastri's crash triggered a safety car, continuing the drama of the weekend -- Saturday's qualifying session featured a record six red flag stoppages, one of which was for Piastri's crash in Q3.
Replays also suggested Piastri had jumped the start, but the Australian's retirement means there will be no penalty.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso, who started directly behind Piastri in 11th, has been given a five-second penalty for jumping the start.