Piastri: Spanish GP victory was just what I needed
Australia's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri admits winning the Spanish Grand Prix was just what he needed after losing out to McLaren teammate Lando Norris over the previous two weekends.
The victory, the seventh of the 24-year-old's career, stretched Piastri's lead over second-placed Norris to 10 points after the Briton reduced it to three with his triumph in Monaco last Sunday.
"It's been a great year and this weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for," said the 24-year-old Melburnian after his fifth win in nine races on Sunday.
"We executed everything we needed to when it counted and that's all you can ask for. The team gave me a great car once again. It's a lot of fun winning races at the moment."
Norris also finished second at Imola, the race before Monaco won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Piastri third.
Piastri led from pole position in Spain, the top slot on the grid secured by the biggest margin of the year so far, after also topping the practice times at the Circuit de Catalunya.
"It's definitely up there," Piastri said when asked whether it was his strongest yet in Formula One.
"I don't know if it's the best one, but certainly it's been a strong one. You know, it's pretty hard to complain with the results we've had this weekend.
"Just the effort that's gone in, and analysing some of the things from last week that we could have done better - I think we turned it around very nicely and got back to the form we wanted to be on.
"I think we did a really good job of managing everything, sticking to our plan on strategy, not getting distracted by the three-stop, really good pit stops. Yeah, I think we just did a good job all around."
Norris, winner of two races this year so far, said he did not feel he had lost anything.
"I think Oscar drove a very good race today and had a good day yesterday. I had the pace to go with him but not enough to try and catch up and put him under threat," he said.
Meanwhile, asked if there are any tracks left where McLaren won't be as dominant this season, Piastri is keeping his cards to his chest.
"I have no idea. I don't know," Piastri added.
"I think Imola, we probably expected to be a bit quicker than we were, and we got beaten. I don't know. I think this weekend, we were probably a bit quicker than we expected compared to Red Bull.
"I think we thought they would be a really genuine threat this weekend. You know, I think they were with us in the race, but more through strategy, I guess, than pure pace. But it seemed like we had a little bit of an edge over them. So, I don't know.
"There will be other tracks where our competitors get closer. There's probably going to be some where they're further away. I hope there's more where they're further away than closer."
Australia's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri admits winning the Spanish Grand Prix was just what he needed after losing out to McLaren teammate Lando Norris over the previous two weekends.
The victory, the seventh of the 24-year-old's career, stretched Piastri's lead over second-placed Norris to 10 points after the Briton reduced it to three with his triumph in Monaco last Sunday.
"It's been a great year and this weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for," said the 24-year-old Melburnian after his fifth win in nine races on Sunday.
"We executed everything we needed to when it counted and that's all you can ask for. The team gave me a great car once again. It's a lot of fun winning races at the moment."
Norris also finished second at Imola, the race before Monaco won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Piastri third.
Piastri led from pole position in Spain, the top slot on the grid secured by the biggest margin of the year so far, after also topping the practice times at the Circuit de Catalunya.
"It's definitely up there," Piastri said when asked whether it was his strongest yet in Formula One.
"I don't know if it's the best one, but certainly it's been a strong one. You know, it's pretty hard to complain with the results we've had this weekend.
"Just the effort that's gone in, and analysing some of the things from last week that we could have done better - I think we turned it around very nicely and got back to the form we wanted to be on.
"I think we did a really good job of managing everything, sticking to our plan on strategy, not getting distracted by the three-stop, really good pit stops. Yeah, I think we just did a good job all around."
Norris, winner of two races this year so far, said he did not feel he had lost anything.
"I think Oscar drove a very good race today and had a good day yesterday. I had the pace to go with him but not enough to try and catch up and put him under threat," he said.
Meanwhile, asked if there are any tracks left where McLaren won't be as dominant this season, Piastri is keeping his cards to his chest.
"I have no idea. I don't know," Piastri added.
"I think Imola, we probably expected to be a bit quicker than we were, and we got beaten. I don't know. I think this weekend, we were probably a bit quicker than we expected compared to Red Bull.
"I think we thought they would be a really genuine threat this weekend. You know, I think they were with us in the race, but more through strategy, I guess, than pure pace. But it seemed like we had a little bit of an edge over them. So, I don't know.
"There will be other tracks where our competitors get closer. There's probably going to be some where they're further away. I hope there's more where they're further away than closer."
Australia's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri admits winning the Spanish Grand Prix was just what he needed after losing out to McLaren teammate Lando Norris over the previous two weekends.
The victory, the seventh of the 24-year-old's career, stretched Piastri's lead over second-placed Norris to 10 points after the Briton reduced it to three with his triumph in Monaco last Sunday.
"It's been a great year and this weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for," said the 24-year-old Melburnian after his fifth win in nine races on Sunday.
"We executed everything we needed to when it counted and that's all you can ask for. The team gave me a great car once again. It's a lot of fun winning races at the moment."
Norris also finished second at Imola, the race before Monaco won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Piastri third.
Piastri led from pole position in Spain, the top slot on the grid secured by the biggest margin of the year so far, after also topping the practice times at the Circuit de Catalunya.
"It's definitely up there," Piastri said when asked whether it was his strongest yet in Formula One.
"I don't know if it's the best one, but certainly it's been a strong one. You know, it's pretty hard to complain with the results we've had this weekend.
"Just the effort that's gone in, and analysing some of the things from last week that we could have done better - I think we turned it around very nicely and got back to the form we wanted to be on.
"I think we did a really good job of managing everything, sticking to our plan on strategy, not getting distracted by the three-stop, really good pit stops. Yeah, I think we just did a good job all around."
Norris, winner of two races this year so far, said he did not feel he had lost anything.
"I think Oscar drove a very good race today and had a good day yesterday. I had the pace to go with him but not enough to try and catch up and put him under threat," he said.
Meanwhile, asked if there are any tracks left where McLaren won't be as dominant this season, Piastri is keeping his cards to his chest.
"I have no idea. I don't know," Piastri added.
"I think Imola, we probably expected to be a bit quicker than we were, and we got beaten. I don't know. I think this weekend, we were probably a bit quicker than we expected compared to Red Bull.
"I think we thought they would be a really genuine threat this weekend. You know, I think they were with us in the race, but more through strategy, I guess, than pure pace. But it seemed like we had a little bit of an edge over them. So, I don't know.
"There will be other tracks where our competitors get closer. There's probably going to be some where they're further away. I hope there's more where they're further away than closer."
Australia's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri admits winning the Spanish Grand Prix was just what he needed after losing out to McLaren teammate Lando Norris over the previous two weekends.
The victory, the seventh of the 24-year-old's career, stretched Piastri's lead over second-placed Norris to 10 points after the Briton reduced it to three with his triumph in Monaco last Sunday.
"It's been a great year and this weekend's been exactly the kind of weekend I was looking for," said the 24-year-old Melburnian after his fifth win in nine races on Sunday.
"We executed everything we needed to when it counted and that's all you can ask for. The team gave me a great car once again. It's a lot of fun winning races at the moment."
Norris also finished second at Imola, the race before Monaco won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, with Piastri third.
Piastri led from pole position in Spain, the top slot on the grid secured by the biggest margin of the year so far, after also topping the practice times at the Circuit de Catalunya.
"It's definitely up there," Piastri said when asked whether it was his strongest yet in Formula One.
"I don't know if it's the best one, but certainly it's been a strong one. You know, it's pretty hard to complain with the results we've had this weekend.
"Just the effort that's gone in, and analysing some of the things from last week that we could have done better - I think we turned it around very nicely and got back to the form we wanted to be on.
"I think we did a really good job of managing everything, sticking to our plan on strategy, not getting distracted by the three-stop, really good pit stops. Yeah, I think we just did a good job all around."
Norris, winner of two races this year so far, said he did not feel he had lost anything.
"I think Oscar drove a very good race today and had a good day yesterday. I had the pace to go with him but not enough to try and catch up and put him under threat," he said.
Meanwhile, asked if there are any tracks left where McLaren won't be as dominant this season, Piastri is keeping his cards to his chest.
"I have no idea. I don't know," Piastri added.
"I think Imola, we probably expected to be a bit quicker than we were, and we got beaten. I don't know. I think this weekend, we were probably a bit quicker than we expected compared to Red Bull.
"I think we thought they would be a really genuine threat this weekend. You know, I think they were with us in the race, but more through strategy, I guess, than pure pace. But it seemed like we had a little bit of an edge over them. So, I don't know.
"There will be other tracks where our competitors get closer. There's probably going to be some where they're further away. I hope there's more where they're further away than closer."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Onboard footage incriminates Max?
Formula 1: Onboard footage of Max Verstappen's altercation with Mercedes' George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix has been released.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- News.com.au
Max Verstappen speaks out after ‘unacceptable' George Russell incident
Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has spoken out following his controversial incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. The race exploded on Lap 63 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when Verstappen steered his Red Bull into Russell's Mercedes as they battled for fourth position. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Verstappen was advised by his team to give Russell the place back when all hell broke loose. The 27-year-old eventually, begrudgingly, let the door open for Russell to overtake him around the outside of turn five — only to then dart into the side of Russell's Mercedes W16 as the British driver looked to swoop around the bend. Russell was heard saying on team radio: 'What the f***'. Verstappen offered up next to nothing when speaking to the media regarding the incident which saw him slugged with a 10-second time penalty. While he did not deny that his move — with whom he was involved in a war of words last season — was deliberate, he refused to dive any deeper … until Monday when he took to Instagram. 'We had an exciting strategy and good race in Barcelona, till the safety car came out,' Verstappen wrote. 'Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened. 'I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. 'See you in Montreal.' While many of Verstappen's loyal followers were quick to forgive the reigning world champ over the act, many were left calling for him to be hit with a race ban. Former world champion Nico Rosberg labelled the moment from Verstappen 'completely unacceptable' and believed the Red Bull driver should have been shown a black flag and disqualified. 'It looked like a very intentional retaliation,' Rosberg said on Sky Sports. 'Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn 1. 'That's something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that's a black flag.' Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson also said Verstappen's move appeared to be intentional. 'I don't understand why Max slows down after Turn 4,' he said. 'Then, suddenly decides, 'No I'm not going to let him through'. 'It's almost like he decides, 'No, I'm not going to let him by at all'. He carries such excessive speed into the corner and he's not out of control when doing this and dive-bombs into the corner and hits the Mercedes hard. 'George is immediately on the radio to say 'what on Earth was that?' 'I think it's intentional. And I don't like to see that.' While Verstappen avoided being disqualified from the race, he now sits on the brink of a race ban after being handed three penalty points from the FIA. It takes him up to 11 points. Drivers receive a racing ban if they collect 12 points over a 12-month period. The next time the four-time world champion will see any of his penalty points expire will be on June 30. That means Verstappen will need to be on his best behaviour at both the Canada Grand Prix on June 15 and then Red Bull's home race at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 29. Picking up another penalty point in Montreal would mean a ban for Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring, while a point in the second race would mean he is banned from the British Grand Prix on July 6.
News.com.au
21 hours ago
- News.com.au
New footage of Max Verstappen blow-up at Spanish GP says it all
On-board footage of Max Verstappen's incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix appears to show the Red Bull driver was clearly in the wrong. The race exploded on Lap 63 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya when Verstappen steered his Red Bull into Russell's Mercedes as they battled for fourth position. Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Verstappen was advised by his team to give Russell the place back and that's when all hell broke loose. The 27-year-old eventually, begrudgingly, let the door open for Russell to overtake him around the outside of turn five — only to then dart into the side of Russell's Mercedes W16 as the British driver looked to swoop around the bend. Russell was heard saying on team radio: 'What the f***'. New on-board footage from Verstappen's car shows the two arrived at the apex of the corner almost together, before the world champion clearly veered towards the right into Russell's car when there was plenty of room on the left hand side of the corner. Watch Verstappen's on-board footage from the incident in the video above Verstappen after the race did not deny that his move on Russell — with whom he was involved in a war of words last season — was deliberate. 'Does it matter?' he said. 'I prefer to speak about the race than just one single moment.' Asked by Sky whether his reputation was being tarnished by the collisions and penalty, he said: 'Is it? Well that's your opinion. We will leave it there.' A day after the race, Verstappen acknowledged the move on Russell was 'not right'. 'Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened. 'I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal.' F1 commentators around the globe were unanimous in criticising Verstappen for the vicious move. Former world champion Nico Rosberg led criticism of Verstappen during the race, saying on Sky Sports the Dutch driver should have been black-flagged and disqualified. 'It looked like a very intentional retaliation,' Rosberg said. 'Wait for the opponent, go ramming into him, just like you felt the other guy rammed into you at Turn 1. 'That's something which is extremely unacceptable and I think the rules would be a black flag. If you wait for your opponent to bang into him, that's a black flag.' Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson also said Verstappen's move appeared to be intentional. 'I don't understand why Max slows down after Turn 4,' he said. 'Then, suddenly decides, 'No I'm not going to let him through'. 'It's almost like he decides, 'No, I'm not going to let him by at all'. He carries such excessive speed into the corner and he's not out of control when doing this and dive-bombs into the corner and hits the Mercedes hard. 'George is immediately on the radio to say 'what on Earth was that?' 'I think it's intentional. And I don't like to see that.' Despite the serious incident, FIA stewards were quick to hand down a 10-second time penalty, which dropped Verstappen from fifth to 10th. Russell said Verstappen's move reminded him of video games. 'I was as surprised as you guys were,' he told reporters. 'I've seen these manoeuvres before on simulator games and in go-karting, but never in F1. 'Ultimately, we came home in P4 and he came home in P10. I don't know what was going through his mind. It felt deliberate in the moment so, yeah, it was a bit surprising. 'It is down to the stewards to decide if its deliberate or not. Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him. It's a shame that something like that continues to occur. It seems totally unnecessary and it never seems to benefit himself.' When asked for his version of events, Russell said bluntly: 'I just got crashed into'. Russell told the Formula 1 broadcast he would not seek to have a conversation with Verstappen about the incident. Russell famously labelled Verstappen a 'bully' at the end of the 2024 F1 series, claiming Verstappen threatened to purposefully go out of his way to crash into him and 'put my f***ing head into the wall'. Max Verstappen facing F1 race ban Verstappen has been left one point away from a racing ban. FIA stewards have given the Red Bull driver two penalty points on his Super License which takes him up to 11 points. Drivers receive a racing ban if they collect 12 points over a 12-month period. The next time the four-time world champion will see any of his penalty points expire will be on June 30. That means Verstappen will need to be on his best behaviour at both the Canada Grand Prix on June 15 and then Red Bull's home race at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 29. Picking up another penalty point in Montreal would mean a ban for Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring, while a point in the second race would mean he is banned from the British Grand Prix on July 6.
