Piastri underlines McLaren’s untapped potential at Spa despite securing a commendable second-place finish.
Arriving third at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit and ultimately classified second following the disqualification of winner George Russell, Oscar Piastri delivered another strong performance for McLaren F1.
Yet the Australian, who finished merely six-tenths behind Lewis Hamilton, might have hoped for more with a slightly more refined strategy and a better-managed final pit stop (he misjudged his braking point and lost two seconds in the process).
What are his thoughts after the race? Does he regret missing out on a second consecutive victory? He concedes that McLaren had more potential this weekend.
“No, I mean, I’m pretty happy overall. I think it was a really well-executed race. I think, yes, clearly, a single stop was a possibility and a lot of people are probably kicking themselves for not considering it longer.”
“But we had a good race, we had a fast car, and, you know, where we lost was on Saturday. We just didn’t get it in the right position in qualifying. So, given where we started, we are very satisfied.”
“Without that, to be honest, there was a bit more potential this weekend…”
Piastri’s tyres were only one lap older than Russell’s. To what extent did he seriously consider a single stop?
“It crossed my mind, but not seriously enough. I was surprised to see how much of a difference the dirty air made. I think when Lewis and Charles went in for their second stop, I was a second faster simply because I had clean air.”
“It was impressive, but then I felt it had somewhat deteriorated after that moment. And with 16 laps, I think, or 15 laps around Spa, it was a big risk to try to go to the end. And I knew that even with the tyre advantage we were building, we had a good chance of trying to win the race that way anyway.”
“So yes, perhaps we should have considered the single stop a bit more. But I think with the two stops, we did a good job of capitalizing on it.”
Piastri continues his strong performances following his victory in Hungary. Can Spa also be ranked as one of his best races in Formula 1 to date?
“I would say yes. I’m not sure my mechanic in charge of lifting the front of my F1 would agree after having bumped him! But it was a really solid race. It wasn’t easy trying to overtake Charles. And I think if I hadn’t managed it on the lap that I did, I would probably have been stuck there for a long time. So it was quite a crucial moment of the race.”
“The pace was very good after that. So I felt very, very good this weekend. Even on Friday, the pace seemed really good. You know, I’m kicking myself a bit for not having aced the qualifications. But it was a very strong weekend and probably one of my best races.”
Can he discuss that tense moment during his second stop? Was he under pressure to lose the least amount of time?
“I just came in a bit too fast. I felt that on Friday, there was a lot of grip in the pit lane and that I was still not going deep enough in my braking point. And during my first pit stop, I had to brake a bit, with Lewis coming out, so maybe I was approaching a bit slower. So I didn’t have the ideal braking point after that stop.”
“At the second stop, it was clearly a bit too pushed. It wasn’t my finest moment. I don’t think it really cost much overall. I would probably have stayed stuck behind Lewis and George at the end. But yes, it’s something I want to get right for all the other races.”
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Spa Finish: Piastri Settles for Second Despite Odds Spa Finish: Piastri Settles for Second Despite Odds
