Oscar Piastri reflected on missed opportunities during the Belgian GP. Piastri is convinced that his starting position, which was further back compared to McLaren’s actual speed, hindered his chances of winning the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. Despite McLaren being considered the top contender at Spa-Francorchamps, their set-up for dry conditions in wet qualifying proved to be a setback. Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris’s chances were ruined when he went off track at Turn 1, while Piastri himself struggled to catch up to the Mercedes drivers towards the end. However, Piastri managed to take advantage of his teammate’s mistake and overtake both Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, but he was unable to make a move on Lewis Hamilton. George Russell, who made one less pit stop before being excluded, was able to pass Hamilton, a strategic choice that Piastri believes he could have made as well. Despite being promoted to second place due to Russell’s misfortune, Piastri believes that McLaren’s failure to fully utilize their potential in qualifying had a greater impact. Piastri expressed his overall satisfaction with the race, considering it to have been well-executed. He believed that a one-stop strategy was possible and that many others may have regretted not considering it further. However, Piastri acknowledged that starting in the wrong position in qualifying prevented him from achieving the desired outcome. Piastri admitted that he briefly considered attempting a one-stop strategy but ultimately decided against it due to concerns about tire degradation. Overtaking proved to be more challenging than expected due to the turbulence caused by running behind another car. Piastri felt that the dirty air had a significant impact on performance and was impressed by the difference clean air made when Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc pitted for a second time. Despite building up a tire advantage, Piastri believed that it was too risky to try and go to the end of the race with 15 or 16 laps remaining at Spa. He felt that even with the tire advantage, they still had a strong chance of winning the race with a two-stop strategy. Piastri acknowledged that they did a good job of capitalizing on the two-stop strategy but lamented the lack of track position in qualifying.
Piastri is confident that he would have faced difficulties in surpassing Leclerc’s struggling Ferrari to secure third place without the crucial maneuver he executed at Les Combes on Lap 36.
“I believe that attempting to overtake Charles was no easy task, and if I hadn’t succeeded on that lap, I would have likely remained stuck behind him for a considerable amount of time,” he remarked.
“That particular moment in the race was quite pivotal. The pace was exceptionally strong.”
“I felt extremely confident throughout the weekend. Even on Friday, my performance was remarkably impressive. I’m just a bit disappointed in myself for not getting the qualifying right.”
“Nevertheless, I consider this to be a highly successful weekend and one of my finest races.”
Piastri experienced a peculiar incident during his second pit stop where he overshot his designated area, causing his front jackman to stumble. However, he denies that it had any significant impact on his prospects.
“It wasn’t my proudest moment,” he admitted. “But I don’t think it affected the overall outcome significantly.”
“It may have meant that I would have remained behind Lewis and George for an additional lap or two towards the end.”
“Nonetheless, it’s something I aim to improve upon for future races.”
