Oscar Piastri revealed he disregarded an instruction from his race engineer to pull off the overtaking move which won him the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver surprised Charles Leclerc by diving down the inside of the Ferrari driver to take the lead on the 20th lap of the race.Piastri said his race engineer Tom Stallard urged him to treat his tyres gently at the beginning of both stints, but ignored him both times, and on the second occasion pulled off the pass which got him into the lead. Getting into clean air at that stage “won me the race,” said Piastri.
“I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that [pass] in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres. So my engineer came on the radio and said, ‘let’s not do that again’, basically. And I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside.
“At that point, I felt [that] trying to stay back and wait for Charles to deg[rade his tyres] was never going to happen. I thought we was just going to secure us P2.
“I had a similar opportunity in the first stint. I felt like on lap two or three, I was just within DRS, but didn’t fully capitalise on that opportunity. And I got to the end of the straight thinking ‘if I had have done a couple of things a bit differently here, I maybe had a chance’.
“So when I had a similar opportunity after the pit stop, I had to take it. And I wouldn’t be sat here without that.”
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The McLaren driver doubts he would have had another opportunity to pass Leclerc if he hadn’t got by at that point.
“It was the only thing I had. If I didn’t take that opportunity then I was never going to have another one I think.
“Credit to Charles, he was incredibly fair. I think maybe he thought I was going to sail on into the run-off but I was pleasantly surprised that I actually made the corner.
“It was a high-risk, high-commitment move but that’s what I needed to do to try and win the race because I wasn’t really going to be that keen to finish second. So I had to try.”
Leclerc said he didn’t defend his position more aggressively because he was trying to look after his tyres at the beginning of his stint.
“I could see in my mirrors that he was there and that it was a possibility for him to go there. But I couldn’t really be super-aggressive. I still had cold tyres. I was really struggling to put those tyres [up] to temperature.
“I just thought it wasn’t that much of a big deal if he would overtake me at that point of the race because the race was still long and the DRS would help me to stay within a second of him and then once my tyres will be in temperature I could overtake him again. But as I said, that was a misjudgement from my side.”
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2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- Verstappen: “Important” for FIA to clarify legality of McLaren’s ‘mini DRS’ wing
- Hamilton explains suspension set-up change behind “miserable” Baku weekend
- Piastri needs “crazy” results to become title contender despite Baku win
- FIA taking new look at flexing bodywork amid intrigue over McLaren’s rear wing
- Norris knew Verstappen broke VSC rules in Baku because he did the same in Melbourne
Jere (@jerejj)
15th September 2024, 18:02
A brave but calculated divebomb, & totally worthy.
ianhaycox (@ianhaycox)
15th September 2024, 18:15
And that’s what makes him World Championship material.
Leo B
15th September 2024, 18:59
Indeed.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
15th September 2024, 19:09
An Aussie world champion? Hah, it’s only been nearly half a century. Wouldn’t that be novel?
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
16th September 2024, 1:15
Hold my Belgian beer!
I’d love to see Oscar with an F1 crown though, I’m sure he made a bit of space next to his F3 and F2 trophies already.
dan
15th September 2024, 18:43
Good, them Mclaren engineers are someing else man. That comment to Lando was the cringiest comment i think i have ever heard in F1 history. “Imagine Andrea on your shoulder so you dont lock up or whatever thing it was”. T,Let the man get on with doing fast laps why even say that sort of thing. Lando is looking worst and worst with these messages he must get treated like a baby or something. His team will luck into the constructors because Checo can only drive in car parks he has no throttle control around a high speed corner. Checo would be the GOAT if we raced 20 times round Baku, Monaco maybe Abu Dhabi he beats Max here regularly in terms of actual pace.
An Sionnach
15th September 2024, 22:36
Pretty stupid message. They should produce a Lando with Andrea on his shoulder action figure and try to sell it whenever they get airtime.
PB
15th September 2024, 23:48
“Imagine Adrea on your shoulder saying zero wheelspin every exit”, (or every turn?) as far as I recall.
Craig S
15th September 2024, 18:44
Given what a clown show McLaren’s race engineers and strategists have been this season, I don’t blame Oscar one bit for ignoring them. Top lad!
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
15th September 2024, 19:59
Lando looking a bit like he wants to get kiboshed at this point. The imposter syndrome stuff needs to be put to bed. And never accept being threatened over the radio to lose. good grief.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
15th September 2024, 18:55
Ruthless, precise, cold when it matters. Ever since Austria, he’s been on a higher gear. Could’ve won a few more, so I’m glad he got a second win. And I sort of like that I’m really cheering for him after being a Webber fan!
MichaelN
15th September 2024, 19:27
Good for him. If the opportunity is there, take it.
It’s always easier to defend the lead than to ‘make the pass later’. Especially in F1, that later often doesn’t come.
DMC
15th September 2024, 20:53
Imho Piastri is schumacher esque.
Amazing pace in just 3nd season and instinctive racer.
DMC
15th September 2024, 20:54
2nd
An Sionnach
15th September 2024, 22:39
Good. Too many drivers driving processional races by not actually racing due to advice from people who have never raced a car. Data is good for helping with decision-making, but it can’t predict everything.
bull mello (@bullmello)
16th September 2024, 1:46
Oscar Piastri is started to remind me of Jim Clark more and more.
HAL
16th September 2024, 13:05
You have a good memory :D
bull mello (@bullmello)
16th September 2024, 17:22
True HAL. I was a kid in the ’60s when discovering F1. Then, Jim Clark. My favorite driver and a person who races. Few drivers over the years have the same skills and demeanor that Jim Clark possessed. Few and far between. Once and a while, a newer driver impresses with similar skills and demeanor.
I still miss Jim Clark.
Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
16th September 2024, 4:12
Correct decision by Piastri (obviously). Leclerc showed in Monza that he is a master of the tyre dark arts. Granted, Ferrari were slower on the hards, but Piastri wouldn’t have known that and he had already cooked his tyres sitting behind. His only chance for the win was an early move with fresh tyres and then defend defend defend.
And really, Piastri owed it to the team and Norris for holding Perez up. He had to make the move. And what a brilliant move it was.
Mooa42
16th September 2024, 5:58
a lot of noise made about the pass, which was great, but I thought his defense was superb. Lap after lap just placing his car not quite a cars width from the edge of the track under braking. Charles couldn’t go down the outside and if he went down the inside he had to be a cars width further in, no late moving in the breaking zone. Top notch.
Big kudos to Lando for playing the team game too, cooling his tyres through the 2nd sector, with Perez in tow, nice.
baasbas
16th September 2024, 9:11
In the end he was correct so happy days. But let’s not forget he made the move stick because Leclerc let him get away with it. If his defense was better I think it was realistic he would have been behind. Would he have tried again for a couple of laps? Seems plausible that would have returned the roles with (just like the first stint) him running out of grip at the end instead of Leclerc.