Despite clinching third in Singapore, Oscar Piastri reflects on a weekend of missed opportunities and execution errors.
Starting only 5th in Singapore, Oscar Piastri even saw Nico Hülkenberg overtake him during the first lap.
The McLaren F1 driver, capitalizing on the remarkable pace of his car, still managed to climb onto the podium, a week after his victory in Baku.
Starting from 5th, 3rd place was likely the best possible result for Oscar Piastri, as Max Verstappen appeared untouchable ahead.
“Yes, I think that was the maximum we could hope for. In qualifying, obviously, it wasn’t ideal, but the goal was to get on the podium.”
“Losing so much time behind the Mercedes in the first stint meant that it was indeed the best we could do. So, I leave reasonably satisfied. Of course, I would have preferred to be the winner, but I think it was a good day to limit the damage. Even throughout the weekend, I struggled in free practice, and I felt I made a good step forward in qualifying.”
Based on Lando Norris’s performance, Oscar Piastri underperformed this weekend in Singapore… he should probably have finished 2nd with better qualifying. This could prove costly at the end of the year for Norris…
“I didn’t execute everything as well as I should have, but I think I learned a lot this weekend. So, even if the final result isn’t exactly what I was hoping for, we did a good job to maximize points, especially for the team. It’s a big points gain for us, and I feel I’ve learned good lessons for next year as well. Ultimately, I’m reasonably happy.”
Piastri also had to extend his first stint on mediums until the 39th lap, to run in clean air at the end of the stint and allow his McLaren F1 to deploy its true pace. A tire management challenge he also met as a sign of his progress.
“The final laps of the stint were tough, but until then, I could say we had a good pace advantage over Mercedes. Lewis was on softs, so that meant I wasn’t going to try to catch him right from the start. I knew the race would come to me later, and that’s what happened. When I was in the dirty air behind them, it was tough, as always, but I knew the further we went, the more we created opportunities with the tire difference.”
“If a safety car had come out, we could have benefited. I think we executed the strategy well. In the last laps, I was trying to convince the team to bring me in, but everything was under control.”
A new DRS zone, the 4th, was introduced for the Singapore Grand Prix, intended to facilitate overtaking. However, Piastri seemed unconvinced of its effectiveness…
“Honestly, it didn’t change much. The two overtakes I made were in turn 7. The section where the new DRS zone was placed is very slippery, so staying close to a car is quite complicated. And the straight isn’t long enough to really make a difference. I think it didn’t bring much change, to be honest.”
A physically demanding race without a safety car
The Singapore Grand Prix was the first since its inception in 2008 to finish without the deployment of a safety car. This thus heightened the physical challenge of this race for the drivers, who had no chance to catch their breath…
“It was a tough race, no doubt,” confirms Oscar Piastri.
“Not as intense as the one we had in Qatar last year, I would say, but it’s almost harder when the race becomes solitary. Once I passed the Mercedes, Max was 20 seconds ahead, and I knew I was much faster than the Mercedes, so the last 15 laps seemed longer than the first 45. But yes, it was a tough race, as always here. But in some ways, having air blowing on your face is almost nice. The lap back to the pits was actually probably… You know, when you stop focusing so much and you don’t have as much air on your face, it can even feel worse. So, it was a tough evening, but that’s what we’re paid for.”
McLaren F1 has doubled its lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ standings in just one race: is the team title already decided for Woking?
“Clearly, in the constructors’ championship, the trajectory has been in the right direction for quite some time now. We clearly have a fast car. We’re both scoring big points consistently. So yes, I think we’re doing a good job as a team, but you can never take for granted how quickly things can change, so we’ll see,” concludes Oscar Piastri.
- You may also like>Verstappen Frustrated as F1 Grows ‘Too Soft’ for Authenticity
- Also make sure you follow us on social media>Facebook and>Twitter
Piastri’s Third Place in Singapore: A Missed Mark Piastri’s Third Place in Singapore: A Missed Mark. f1 2024 Piastri’s Third Place in Singapore: A Missed Mark
