Sprint Race, Piastri: “I thought I could overtake Max, but something was missing”

Spielberg – Oscar Piastri conquers second position in the Austrian Sprint Race, taking over the position from his teammate Lando Norris. At the start he remains glued to the other McLaren, creating a train with the race leader Max Verstappen; the first two enter into a fight, and Lando tries on the fourth lap. Verstappen, however, has no intention of giving him the way, and takes back the first position, towing behind him the other McLaren, which takes advantage of the weaknesses of its teammate. The two papaya cars remain glued together until the finish line, which they cross in reverse order compared to the start.

Piastri: “I was hoping to overtake both of them”

“I finished the race higher than where I started, but in the second half of the race I didn’t have enough pace. I thought I could overtake Max, but something was missing. There are things to look at in the afternoon, but we’re taking home some points, a great haul compared to our rival teams. When I saw Lando and Max were in a great battle, and Lando’s late overtaking, I realised there would be an opportunity at the exit. I was hoping to overtake both of them, but I did my best,” explained the Australian. “I tried to catch Verstappen on the next lap, but I lacked the pace. I tried to be patient, I did it at the start too and now I’m reaping the benefits.”