Oscar Piastri looks ahead to the F1 Saudi Arabian GP, opening up about the team’s upgrade plans and the equal opportunities he expects as the title fight heats up against McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
After a dominant showing at last week’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Piastri closed the gap to championship leader Norris to just three points, and undoubtedly has momentum on his side heading into the final race of the April triple header.
“Looking forward” to racing in Jeddah
When asked about the peaky nature of the MCL39 and the challenges of managing it on the tricky Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Piastri admitted he’s not particularly worried.
“I’m not too concerned, to be honest,” Piastri said on media day ahead of the F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
“I think it’s a track with a lot of grip. Very high speed as well, and in order not to have any moments in the high speed, I don’t think it really matters what characteristic the car is, if you’re pushing it a bit too hard. I’m not too concerned. It’s a track I’ve always enjoyed, so I’m looking forward to being here.”
One of the MCL39’s key strengths so far has been its ability to manage rear tyre temperatures effectively. However, Piastri expects the high-grip circuit will be more forgiving on tyres, potentially bringing the field closer together this weekend.
“It’s a bit hard to say at the moment,” Piastri said.
“In China, it was a track that was very front-limited. Especially on Saturday, and we were still very quick, so I’m not overly concerned.”
“With such a high level of grip around here, that is something that wouldn’t save us in the last couple of years. I feel like this year that will potentially save some others. So I’m expecting it to be pretty tight around here as well.”
“It’s a layout and track that’s similar in corner speed to somewhere like Suzuka for the most part. We’ll see if Red Bull are back in the fight, or if anyone else challenges us. I expect us to be quick, but with a small advantage.”
On the importance of Qualifying
With McLaren enjoying a clear early-season advantage over the rest of the field, much of the attention has turned to the inter-team battle between Norris and Piastri. While Norris is still occupying the top spot in the standings, he appeared to lack confidence in the car compared to Piastri last time out in Bahrain. Norris offered a scathing self-assessment after qualifying P6. With momentum on his side, Piastri is heading into the F1 Saudi Arabian GP poised for another strong performance.
The Australian driver acknowledged that doing a good job on Saturday makes things easier on race day, but clarified that qualifying position may not always be a deciding factor.
“Qualifying is incredibly important, regardless of the intra-team dynamics, pit stop preferences and whatever, just the power of clean air is so important,” Piastri commented.
“So I think regardless of that, you always want to be qualifying at the front, but with two drivers in the same car, I think at a very similar pace, whenever you qualify ahead it’s a pretty major advantage.”
“So it is going to be important to have a good qualifying, but we’ve seen in the past that it’s not always everything; there are other areas where you can make up the difference.”
Piastri anticipating “equal opportunity” in the fight for the Drivers’ Championship
Fresh off a historically dominant 2023 season, Red Bull came into last year as the team to beat, taking five wins across the first six races of the season. McLaren spent the first few rounds playing catch-up, only experiencing a breakthrough around Miami, surging ahead as Red Bull stumbled in the development game.
Piastri noted that the team is in an entirely different position this year, having already accumulated a significant lead in the standings after just four rounds. As such, he expects McLaren will give both drivers equal opportunities to fight for the Drivers’ title.
“I think this year the situation is very, very different,” he said.
“Last year, especially at the beginning of the season, we were incredibly keen to get whatever performance we could onto the car as quickly as possible, and we needed to make up a points deficit in the Constructors’ Championship especially.”
“This year we’re in a very different position. Obviously, we have already a decent gap in the Constructors’ Championship and both of us fighting for the Drivers’ Championship, so I think it’s expected that we’ll both have an equal opportunity and the same car to be able to fight for the Drivers’ Championship.”
“Then obviously in the Constructors’ Championship we’re in a good place, I think, while we have the opportunity to keep it equal and have the same car every weekend.”
Dirty air affecting all teams
Asked whether McLaren is disproportionately affected by dirty air, Piastri stated that it’s a “grid-wide issue.”
He said, “Not necessarily. I think everybody struggles with it, I think it’s pretty similar for most of the teams.
“We saw in China, I think the Ferrari was very quick through the whole weekend, and they also struggled to get through the dirty air, so I think it’s just a grid-wide problem.
“I don’t think it’s specific to us… I don’t really plan on testing that theory too many times hopefully, but I think it is just difficult for everybody with more and more downforce going on.”
Keeping calm under pressure
Quizzed on the emotional side of racing, Piastri opened up about the balance between staying calm and embracing the highs—and experiencing the lows—of the sport.
“I have been [emotional] a couple of times through my career,” he said.
“I think when they’re negative emotions, yes, it does have a negative impact. So that’s why I try… I think it comes somewhat naturally, being calm and trying to stay relaxed, but there’s a lot of conscious effort on that as well.
“But there’s also positive emotions as well. After China, I had a camera on me that you could see my face, I was pretty damn excited.
“There are emotions out there—again, the radio is a button for a reason, and you use it when you think you should. So there’s probably more that you don’t see under the helmet, but for me, it was just how I felt at the moment.
“(…) I think for everyone, they kind of work in different ways. For me, trying to stay calm is a very important thing and I think it helps me get the best out of myself, so yeah, that’s how I think I operate best, and I think it’s been working so far.”
