Piastri Analyzes His Second Place in the Hungarian Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri admitted it was “difficult” to finish second behind his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Australian driver, who led the race at several points, missed the opportunity to win on the last lap, in a showdown with Norris.
Piastri, who achieved his first Formula 1 victory at the Hungaroring circuit last year, expressed mixed feelings about his second place, despite the exciting battle.
“Whenever you lose a race by such a small margin, it’s obviously a bit painful, but I’m sure it was entertaining from the outside,” Piastri told reporters.
Oscar Piastri
The driver continued to describe the race as “fun” and added that, from his perspective, it was complicated to be on the losing side of the battle. Piastri highlighted the team’s attempts and the effort to overtake Charles Leclerc.Oscar Piastri finalizó en segundo lugar.Piastri also reflected on the team’s strategy, mentioning that they would analyze whether they should have made different decisions, although he acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. The driver explained that, although he was able to get close to Norris, overtaking him was a completely different challenge. Piastri detailed the complexities of the middle sector of the circuit and the impact on aerodynamic load.
The McLaren driver explained that, given the difficulties in overtaking in Hungary, the team opted for varied strategies. Norris made an early stop, while Piastri made two, which provided him with fresher tires at the end of the race.
Piastri noted that the team needed to try something different to beat Charles Leclerc, who had qualified in pole position.
“We tried something. Was it the right thing in the end? I don’t know, but it’s always much easier when you’re the car behind to take that risk,” Piastri declared.
Despite Piastri’s disappointment, McLaren achieved their seventh one-two finish of the season. The Australian driver remains the championship leader, with a nine-point advantage, before the Formula 1 summer break.
