Just 34 races into his Formula One career, Oscar Piastri stands on the top step of the podium for the first time as he collected his first Grand Prix win.
The driver from Melbourne started second on the grid with Norris on pole. But Piastri got a better launch and took the lead as he was on the inside of Norris and Verstappen into turn 1.
The Australian gently pulled away as the first stint went on to hold a 3s lead around the first stop window.
In the second stint, the gap was 4s until the 23-year-old had a snap of oversteer and lost the car at turn 11, losing 2 seconds to Norris in the process.
“I put myself in the right position at the start of the race. A little moment in the middle on the hard stint.”
On lap 46, McLaren decided to pit Norris first to defend against Hamilton who had boxed six laps earlier, but that turned into an unexpected undercut against Piastri when Norris gained the lead after the Aussie pitted on lap 49.
There was a lot of radio messages exchanged between Piastri/Stallard and Norris/Joseph, with the Brit eventually giving the lead up with 3 laps to go.
Piastri explained his point of view in the press conference and the pace he had on the day.
“At the end we went on to different strategies, trying to cover different people. So yeah, I mean, effectively it was an undercut. So, I think for me it was fair to swap us back.
“Obviously my pace wasn’t quite as good as I would have hoped. But, yeah, I think an amazing day for the whole team. Obviously, a one-two.
“For myself, of course, extremely happy. Still some things to improve and work on, definitely. But, I feel like I did a lot of things right in that race.”
Since his rookie season last year, many were expecting this day to happen. The past few races has been tough for Piastri as he has always been close to the top step but not close enough.
In Austria, he lost P3 on the grid due to a controversial track limits violation. At Silverstone, Piastri was right in the mix for victory but McLaren did not double stack.
“It’s extremely satisfying. We have had a couple of near misses recently.I think on both sides of the garage. But, yeah, to have my first win is incredible, really.
“So yeah, I mean, it definitely helps with some of the pain we’ve had from the last few weekends.So, yeah, I’ll enjoy it for the next few days and then we go again.”
With McLaren P2 in the Constructors’ Championship, only 51 points behind Red Bull, Piastri strongly believes the Constructors is up for grabs for them now.
“Definitely.”
