Oscar Piastri stormed to victory at Spa-Francorchamps. The Australian overcame wet conditions and a tense strategic battle with teammate Lando Norris to secure yet another race win this season. The McLaren driver made a daring move down the Kemmel straight when the safety car peeled into the pits, and never looked back.
This win extends Piastri’s championship lead to 16 points over Norris ahead of next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. A track that holds memories for the Aussie, who won his very first Grand Prix there last season.
A crucial good start
Reflecting on his race win, Piastri knew that his best opportunity to lead the race would be during lap 1, similarly to how Verstappen clinched yesterday’s Sprint Race victory from the same position as Piastri. Therefore, the Australian made his move as soon as possible on his teammate.
“I knew that lap one was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and then lifted as little as I did through Eau Rouge, and that was enough.”
Despite the race beginning on a rolling start, Piatsri didn’t hesitate to make a risky move on Norris. Regardless of it being the opening lap of the race.
“To be honest, I was a bit disappointed it was a rolling start because I thought that was going to take away some opportunity… But I got a good exit out of Turn 1 and was able to stay close. When I was that close, I knew I was just going to lift a little bit less than Lando did and try and keep it on the track.”
Strategy mayhem
Although Piastri seemingly raced with control from lights out to the chequered flag, tyre strategy was pivotal on a drying track. As Piastri and Norris were too close to double stack, the team were forced to pit each driver a lap apart. In turn, Norris went onto the hard compound of tyres to have a strategic advantage over his teammate on the mediums. A tyre which not many thought could last until the race end.
When asked if he was nervous about Norris being behind on better tyres, Piastri stood by the original decision.
“Maybe the medium wasn’t the best for the last five or six laps, but we had it mostly under control, which is what I wanted.”
However, Piastri noted that Norris was on a strategy he would have opted for if he was running in second.
“I kind of had the same plan if I was going to be second. I knew that was going to be a likely decision for [Lando].”
“For me, the medium was the safest tyre to be on at that point… You never know if someone’s going to crash and there’s a safety car, then at that point you want a medium for the restart.”
Most importantly for the championship leader, this race was about redemption. After a disappointing Saturday, losing pole position and the Sprint race, Piastri arrived eager to make up for his mistakes. Which is exactly what he did.
“I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday, but it turns out starting second is not too bad after all.”
Looking ahead to Budapest
The Hungarian Grand Prix holds many special memories for Piastri, despite being home to the infamous ‘papaya rules’ incident last season. The Hungaroring is the first track at which Oscar Piastri secured an F1 win at.
The 24-year-old emphasised his excitement to be back at the track, which ultimately started his now-championship challenge.
“Yes, definitely. It’s going to be exciting to go back; it’s a track I enjoy. It’s the scene of my first win last year, so I’m looking forward to getting back.”
Piastri also acknowledged the strong pace that McLaren has maintained throughout the weekend. With the papaya team leading every session this weekend, bar yesterday’s sprint race. Piastri ultimately hopes the team can keep this momentum through the Summer break.
“Hopefully, we can continue the momentum because this weekend the pace has been incredibly strong.”
As the Belgian GP weekend comes to a close, F1 sets its sights on the final round before the long-awaited summer break. The Hungarian GP is set to be an enthralling end to this half of the season.
