A podium finish at Imola despite a bad start and a questionable strategy for Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri started from pole position in Imola this Sunday, buoyed by his third pole of the season and in pursuit of a fourth consecutive victory. But right from the start, his hopes of winning vanished. Max Verstappen, starting second, made a bold overtaking move on the outside at the Tamburello chicane, taking advantage of the Australian's overly cautious braking. Piastri admitted after the race: « I braked too early ».

Relegated to second position, the McLaren driver attempted a strategic undercut on the 14th lap by fitting hard tires. However, this strategy did not pay off. He got stuck in traffic and lost valuable time, particularly behind Alex Albon. An additional stop under the virtual safety car pulled him even further away from the race lead, bringing him out in fourth, 36 seconds behind Max Verstappen and 16 seconds behind his teammate Lando Norris.

Thanks to an overtaking move on Alex Albon on the 40th lap, Oscar Piastri reclaimed third place. But with more worn tires, he couldn't hold off Lando Norris's comeback, who passed him seven laps from the finish to take second place.

« I just didn't brake late enough. It was a good maneuver by Max Verstappen. I thought everything was under control, and that's when it surprises you. I have things to learn for next time. But after that, we really didn't have the pace, we didn't have enough pace to fight for the win, but in any case, it would have been difficult. So there are things to analyze », the driver admitted after his race.

In the end, the young McLaren driver finishes third, a disappointing result given his pole position. Nevertheless, he retains the lead in the championship with 144 points, but his lead is narrowing: Lando Norris is now 11 points behind and Max Verstappen 22 points.