Oscar Piastri: “At one point we were slower than the Formula 2s”
Oscar Piastri finished on the second step of the podium in Monaco, after spending the whole race behind Charles Leclerc, who was busy managing his rubber. It was the third podium finish of his career.
It must not have been the most eventful Sunday for Oscar Piastri. The Australian found himself stuck behind Charles Leclerc, unable to overtake in the narrow and winding streets of Monaco. The Monegasque was so focused on managing his tires that he slowed down to the point of changing the cars’ categories, according to the McLaren driver.
« I attempted a maneuver around 10 or 15 laps after the start, in turn 8. We were going quite slowly. At one point, we were going slower than Formula 2,” the Australian joked in a press conference. « You know, when you go that slow, you have a lot of options,” he explained. However, once Leclerc reacted, his passing options were considerably reduced.
The performance of Piastri’s car was another point of discussion, especially after a slight contact with Carlos Sainz at the start which damaged the floor of his McLaren. “I think during the first half of the race, it was impossible to say what penalty that was”, he said. “Towards the end, it was probably a combination of maintaining a reasonably fast race pace, plus the floor, yes, I just struggled a bit towards the end, but overall, I’m pretty happy with the car.”
A highly competitive McLaren
Despite this challenge, Piastri managed to maintain a competitive performance, highlighting that McLaren is in a good position for the future. “I think so. These are three very different circuits in the last three races, and we have been competitive on all of them,” he said. “Miami was probably one of our worst circuits before this year. Imola has always been favorable to us, but we had a very strong weekend there, and here… Let’s say our car has never been the most efficient in slow corners, and this weekend we were still very fast.”
Interviewed about the immediate reaction after the contact with Sainz and the repair under red flag, Piastri described the critical moments: “I definitely felt the contact at turn 1” and at that part of the car, it’s a very sensitive area. The team told me how much aerodynamic downforce I was losing before we tried to repair it, and it was a fairly significant number. He added that the long period under the red flag allowed them to effectively repair the car: “Being in Monaco, it’s probably the only circuit where having damages doesn’t penalize you as much. So yes, it was a very, very light contact. But with these cars, especially with the floor being so sensitive to the aerodynamic downforce it generates, it can easily ruin your race.”
It was his third podium of his career in the premier category, something he naturally rejoiced in. The third podium in F1, it never gets old, he declared excitedly. I am very happy to have it here in Monaco. If there is a podium, other than the one at home, where one wants to be, it’s probably here.
