Among the many themes of the weekend in Singapore there is also McLaren, protagonist on the podium but also of a good comeback with Oscar Piastri. For the young Australian rookie it was the first time on the Asian track and he didn’t even have the complete package of upgrades, which was instead fitted to Lando Norris’ car.
Further complicating the weekend was Lance Stroll’s qualifying accident in the final minutes of the first qualifying heat, pushing Piastri to a bitter early exclusion. The McLaren driver was thus forced into a comeback race from seventeenth position, starting on the medium tire like many of his rivals.
In reality, initially the Woking team had evaluated the opportunity of starting on the soft to gain some positions at the start and, if necessary, evaluate an alternative strategy compared to their rivals, perhaps with an early pit stop to get rid of the traffic and spin at a faster pace.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images
“We risked starting on the soft tyres, but to be honest we were happy we didn’t. I don’t think it would have worked for the strategy we had at the end, the Safety Car was perfectly timed for the mediums. So yes, I think the team made a good decision. And overall it was a well conducted race.”
Also taking advantage of the retirement of Yuki Tsunoda, who came into contact with Sergio Perez during the first lap, Piastri quickly recovered a few positions, and then remained waiting right behind the Red Bull Mexican. The entry of the Safety Car due to the debris left on the track by Logan Sargeant allowed him to return to fit the hard tire with which to tackle the second stint: upon restarting the young rookie was immediately able to attack Liam Lawson, thus moving up to thirteenth place.
With the group kept compact by Alonso and the stop of the two Red Bulls, to which was then added the error of Kevin Magnussen in the duel with Pierre Gasly, Piastri began to climb up the rankings, thus returning to the zone points. Despite the entry of the Virtual Safety Car, which then led Aston Martin to the decision to stop Fernando Alonso for an additional stop, Piastri was then able to defend his position until the checkered flag, only having to make up for Max’s comeback Verstappen, who in the meantime was recovering with fresher and softer tyres.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“Yes, I’m really very happy. Starting seventeenth in Singapore is never such an exciting prospect. So after all this, getting seventh position is a fantastic result. I don’t think we could have done more. I am therefore very happy, an excellent result also for the team. Excellent points. And yes, I think I had a great start, even on the first lap we gained some positions, and then we were patient and had a Safety Car at the right time this time, which helped us. So, yes, a little bit of luck, but also some good decisions and a lot of patience allowed us to capitalize.”
During the weekend of the Japanese GP, Piastri will also have the complete package of technical innovations available, the same one fitted to Norris’s car in Singapore. Seeing the performance of the Briton’s McLaren, the Australian said he was confident that they will help him take a step forward to consistently fight for the front rows: “Yes, it’s very, very encouraging,” said Piastri referring to the performances of the teammate.
“Obviously, I could see on the big screens that he was behind Carlos for a long time. So, on a circuit that is perhaps a little easier to overtake, it’s an exciting prospect. I’m looking forward to fitting these parts to the car next week, on a track that has some faster corners, which is generally a good thing for us. I can’t wait to see what we can do.”
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