Oscar Piastri lost out to Max Verstappen at the start and McLaren’s bold strategy call only deepened the Australian’s Imola frustration.
Piastri emerged as the big loser of the Imola Grand Prix, relinquishing the lead at Turn 1 after a superb overtake by Max Verstappen.
Subsequently, his strategy proved suboptimal, with a two-stop approach that dropped him into traffic. Moreover, his pace failed to match that of the Red Bull.
All in all, it was a day to forget for Piastri — though he still secured a podium finish. The Australian remains at the top of the championship, 13 points ahead of Lando Norris and 24 ahead of Max Verstappen.
“It’s a slight disappointment, probably. It’s never a great day when you start first and finish third.”
“So, yes, just not a great day. I think Turn 1 wasn’t ideal. And in the end, our pit stop timing wasn’t… The race unfolded differently from what we expected at the start of the first stint.”
“The race was very tough from the beginning. Honestly, considering that people had fresher tyres at the end, holding on to a podium is not a bad result.”
“You’ll have tough days in the championship, and this was clearly one of them. So as long as we take the lessons from it, that’s all I can ask.”
The Lesson from Max Verstappen at Turn 1
Did Max Verstappen catch Oscar Piastri off guard at Turn 1 with his late braking? Was the Australian perhaps not cautious enough?
“Yes. I thought I had the situation pretty well under control, and it was a nice move by Max.”
“So, yes, I’ll definitely learn for next time. But at that moment, I wasn’t overly concerned about not being in the lead, though afterwards our pace just wasn’t as strong as I had hoped.”
“In hindsight, I certainly would have done something different. I probably would have braked ten metres later. Yes. That’s it. Live and learn.”
A Strategy That Didn’t Pay Off
After that first-lap error, the McLaren F1 pit wall made a second misstep by calling in Oscar Piastri early (lap 13), switching him to a two-stop strategy.
This decision dropped the Australian into traffic, costing him valuable seconds. Yet, a one-stop strategy had appeared viable…
“It’s not clear, but I think a lot of people around were struggling with the tyres, me a bit as well,” Oscar Piastri responded.
“We kind of discussed it a little bit, I guess, but it’s something we still need to look at more clearly. Because I think, yes, maybe we reacted a little too quickly.”
“But yes, we’ll take a look at it.”
A Win in Monaco?
After finishing an impressive second last year behind Charles Leclerc in Monaco, could Oscar Piastri go one better this time around?
On a low-speed circuit, Red Bull could struggle — something Max Verstappen already fears. This could present a golden opportunity for Piastri to claim the most prestigious win of his career.
“It’s a track I enjoy. Last year was a very good weekend for me, so hopefully we can do even better this year. That would be nice, but it will be interesting to see how these tyres — well, it’s the same tyres as this weekend — perform in such a different environment like Monaco.”
“And of course, Monaco will be a two-stop race. So, yes, we’ll see. But I’m confident we’ll be quick and we’ll look to bounce back.”
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