Title leader Piastri has learned 'lessons on risk'

Singapore Grand Prix

3-5 October, with race from 13:00 BST on Sunday

Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and Sports Extra 2; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Championship leader Oscar Piastri says he learned "lessons on risk" for the rest of the season after his poor weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Australian McLaren driver crashed out of the race in Baku on the first lap after jumping the start and falling to the back. He had also crashed in qualifying and practice.

Piastri's team-mate Lando Norris narrowed his deficit in the title chase to 25 points, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen is 69 points off the lead heading into this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix after winning the past two races.

Piastri said: "We don't want to have weekends like Baku and we know we can't afford to have weekends like Baku.

"Certainly from my side of things there was some tough lessons to take but I think as a team we kind of recognised a few opportunities from the weekend to try and improve. So that's always an important thing.

"Baku was quite a good reminder of firstly how quickly everything can change but also on some of the things that have made the season so successful for myself and the team. So I think just trying to stay focused on that will naturally take care of the championship picture."

Piastri said he had "tried too hard" in Baku qualifying and that for his accident in the race it was "difficult to kind of remove immediately what went on at the start".

He added: "There's some lessons about how I can deal with that better and just lessons on risk I guess is the best way to put it. There's nothing revolutionary that I think needs to change or that I am going to change.

"For 16 of the 17 weekends what I've been doing has worked very well. If I make sure I stay focused on the things that have gone well then it will continue to go that way. Nothing revolutionary. I'm just putting it down to some mistakes."

Norris said that Verstappen is "genuinely a challenger" for the championship with seven races to go, reiterating a view McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expressed in Baku.

The Dutchman's victory two weeks ago was his fourth of the season, while Piastri has won seven and Norris five.

Norris said Verstappen had always been a bigger threat to McLaren than was generally perceived.

The Briton said: "If you go back to the beginning of the season, they were challenging the first six, seven races, challenging us in the drivers', and then we brought some upgrades, improved a little bit.

"A couple of races ago, they brought some upgrades and it seems like that's kind of put them back on the same level as us.

"We're still expecting and we still come into every race with the ambition and with the goal of winning and wanting to dominate as a team and continue the form that we've had all season.

"Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull certainly over the last few weekends have been closer, so we expect battles, especially with them."

Verstappen, who has never won in Singapore, said: "From my side, honestly, I just see it as a race by race thing. Sixty-nine points is still a lot, especially if you look at how the season has gone so far.

"McLaren has been incredibly dominant, that doesn't suddenly change. So for me, I'm not too stressed about anything."

McLaren are almost certain to win the constructors' championship this weekend - they will clinch the title as long as Mercedes do not outscore them by 31 points, or Ferrari by 35.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton races for the first time since the death of his bulldog Roscoe last weekend.

The seven-time champion said it was "quite overwhelming to see just how many people Roscoe touched around the world."

He added that he had received "lots of messages" which was "really heartwarming".

Hamilton said: "I've not been able to reply to everybody. It was the most important thing in my life. So it was a very difficult experience.

"I know so many people in the world have gone through it and know what it's like to have a pet that gives you such amazing love. It's an amazing experience."