McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes Oscar Piastri’s excellent driving at the 2024 Azerbaijan GP made the difference for McLaren to win the race, in a day in which the Woking squad “did not enjoy any advantage” over its closest rivals Ferrari and Red Bull.
Piastri qualified in second for the grand prix, over three tenths back from pole-sitter Charles Leclerc, and that order was maintained during the first stint of the race in Baku, as the Monegasque opened as much as a six-second gap back to the Australian before the first – and only – round of pit stops.
But a combination of good tyre management and stunningly fast in- and out-laps brought the McLaren driver into contention, as he seeked to get past the Ferrari and got him with a bold move down the inside of the first corner.
Speaking after the race, team principal Andrea Stella was full of praise for Piastri’s late-braking move, and admitted he thought, in that moment, that Piastri wouldn’t make the apex, given how late he started to brake:
“I think Oscar just took advantage that his hard tyres were in a really sweet spot when [Charles] Leclerc pitted ahead of him, and it just seemed to have an edge to be able to attack him in corner one.
“But if we look where Oscar is coming from when he attacks Leclerc in corner one, that’s from quite afar, and still he negotiates the apex. So I think it’s one of those cases in which you have to point out the ability of the driver, because he delays the braking point so much and still negotiates the corner in such a precise way. He doesn’t even have to rely on Leclerc conceding any space.
“So it’s one of those cases in which the talent, the precision in the execution from Oscar’s point of view just made the difference.
“When I watched it live and I saw him going, my instinct said, like, ‘he’s going to go long.’
“Because the delay in the braking point was kind of like, if Leclerc brakes there, that must be the braking point. So my instinct was he’s going to go long, but that’s why I wanted to emphasize in my answer before just the precision in the execution to then actually be on the inside apex kerb in corner one. So, yeah, I was surprised.
“But Oscar is always surprising us with his talent, with his ability.”
Aside from the crucial overtake that allowed him to take the lead of the race, Stella also commended the Australian’s mental strength in battle, as he had to deal with constant pressure from Leclerc and Perez throughout the second stint without making any mistakes, which was showcased even by the calmness in his voice over the radio:
“I would say today he gave also a demonstration of his mental strength. He drove like a driver that has a lot of experience, that has been under this kind of pressure before, that can look with one eye at the mirror, with the other eye at where is the braking point.
“And Oscar did it again with a great level of precision and pretty controlled. Even when he was talking on the radio, he seemed very, very much under control. So, yeah, phenomenal driver, brilliant drive today.”
The 53-year-old believes Piastri’s driving made a big difference in the end result, as he downplayed suggestions that McLaren is outright the “fastest” team in F1 right now, saying the team didn’t enjoy “any advantage” over its closest competitors, including the struggling Red Bull:
“There’s not much to pick at all between the four top teams, and when it comes to McLaren, I often hear McLaren best car, McLaren best car. I think this is not in the numbers.
“I think in the numbers, McLaren is the best car in some kind of circuits, like Barcelona, Hungary, Zandvoort, for good technical reasons. But here [in Baku], I don’t think McLaren did not enjoy any advantage over Ferrari, and I think not even over Red Bull.”
Before the weekend started, McLaren made it clear that it would “bias” more support towards Lando Norris in a bid to get the Briton to challenge for the world drivers’ championship, which in some cases could be to the detriment of Piastri.
But that wasn’t the case as it turned out in Baku. After Norris’ shock Q1 exit, the man who last won in Zandvoort had to make a recovery drive from 15th on the grid, and instead had to play himself a role of rear-gunner, as the team asked him to hold off Perez in order to avoid the Mexican undercutting Piastri for second place.
Stella went as far as saying the Australian’s second F1 race win was “50% shared” with his team-mate, and believes the good team work from both drivers is what propels the team forward:
“Effectively, without Lando’s help, Perez could have pitted ahead of Oscar and the race could have unfolded in a completely different way.
“So I think 50% of Oscar’s victory today is shared with Lando. And, you know, it just shows that we are approaching racing as one team. We had a conversation before the weekend where we would bias one way or the other.
“But for us, we approach every weekend trying to maximise the result for the team. And if one driver needs help, we will do it. And the other driver will do it.
“I think that’s a point of strength for us when you compete in such a tight competition.”
