F1 | Piastri: “We have the pace to try to win”

Second at the end of qualifying, but with a place on the grid still to be decided. On the day in which Max Verstappen demonstrated once again why he is a three-time world champion, on the other hand there is a hint of regret at McLaren, because pole this time really seemed within reach.

Since Friday the MCL38 has seemed to be in excellent shape, much more than what the standings said, because Lando Norris could have asked for the lead without a Rivazza-like flaw. Furthermore, on pace McLaren seemed among the most competitive teams ever, both on average with Lando Norris, among the most active over long distances, and with Oscar Piastri, with whom the work had been differentiated by trying the hard.

Undoubtedly Verstappen was somewhat of the surprise of the day, not so much because his talent came to the fore, but because yesterday Red Bull had shown some signs of difficulty. The intense work during the night in search of the setup seems to have helped, as did a trail in the last attempt in Q3 behind Nico Hulkenberg, which clearly had a small beneficial effect.

McLaren felt he was fighting not only for the front row, but also for pole and having put both Ferraris behind him is a positive sign of growth. On the other hand, however, the “fate” of Oscar Piastri is still uncertain, because three positions potentially weigh on his qualification due to an impediment against Kevin Magnussen in Q1 in the Tamburello area.

For his part, beyond the issue of investigation which could cause him to slip to fifth position if the penalty were to be confirmed, Piastri regrets not having managed to grab a pole which was only about seventy thousandths away, but he didn’t even hide the satisfaction with what he has managed to build so far during the weekend: “The last corner was a bit difficult, but I think it is very difficult to do a perfect lap here. I’m very happy to have felt comfortable with the car from the moment I took to the track yesterday and to have been so close to pole, I’m very happy,” said the Australian.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been back here, so I’m very happy with how this weekend is going,” added the McLaren driver, who hasn’t raced here since his final year in F2 in 2021.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Although Imola is an extremely technical track where it is difficult to overtake, as the races in the F2 and F3 preparatory categories also demonstrated, Piastri believes that victory is within reach, demonstrating the progress made by the Woking team not only over the course of the season, but also in the growth path since last season.

“I think we can fight for something more. In the past we said no, but with the latest performances we have learned to say yes, so we’ll see what we can do. We were definitely up to speed all weekend, of course you can never be certain about Max and the Red Bull, as we have just seen, but I think the confidence is high. Of course, it’s not the easiest track to overtake on, but confidence is high and we can do something good.”