Oscar Piastri stated that McLaren was unable to keep up with Max Verstappen in the final stages of the Austrian GP Sprint.
The third Sprint weekend of the 2024 Formula 1 season saw McLaren facing strong competition from other teams. However, Verstappen emerged victorious in the Sprint, while Piastri finished in second place. After the session, Piastri discussed his performance.
Piastri was pleased to gain a position during the Sprint. Starting from P3 behind his teammate Lando Norris, the Australian driver managed to overtake Norris when Verstappen took the lead. However, Piastri admitted that McLaren didn’t have the speed to challenge Verstappen towards the end of the Sprint.
Piastri mentioned that the team was happy to secure a significant number of points in the Sprint. The competition at the front of the grid has been increasingly intense, making every point crucial. Piastri emphasized that McLaren had a substantial points advantage over other teams.
When asked about his race, Piastri replied, “Yes and no. I finished one point higher than where I started. However, I didn’t have the pace at the end. We’ll definitely take the points; it’s a significant advantage over the other teams around us.”
The McLaren team boss praised Piastri for his impressive performance, securing second place. Stella highlighted Piastri’s ability to overtake Norris on track with sheer speed. It was a remarkable achievement for the 23-year-old driver.
Regarding Norris’ third place, Stella commented that Norris lost the race line to his teammate, resulting in his drop to P3. Norris briefly led the race but was overtaken by both Verstappen and Piastri in quick succession.
A McLaren will seek to make improvements after its defeat to Verstappen in the Sprint. With qualifying just a few hours away, the team needs to address any issues to give Piastri and Norris the chance to compete for pole position against the current world champion.
