16/09/2024
NEWS STORY
Oscar Piastri has revealed that his race winning move on Charles Leclerc was contrary to team advice.
Running third, the Australian pitted on Lap 15, rejoining in fourth, while the Monegasque, who had been leading, pitted a lap later and rejoined in second, just ahead of the McLaren driver who had wasted no time in disposing of Alex Albon.
With Carlos Sainz pitting from the lead on Lap 17, Leclerc and Piastri were now running first and second, and it was three laps later that Piastri made his bold move on Leclerc in Turn 1.
Ahead of his race-winning pass on the Ferrari, Piastri had been advised by his engineer Tom Stallard not to push his tyres too hard, thereby avoiding a drop-off similar to that experienced in the first stint.
"I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres," admitted the Australian. "So, my engineer came on the radio and said, you know, let's not do that again, basically. And I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside.
"I think at that point, you know, I felt like trying to stay back and waiting for Charles to deg was never going to happen. I thought we were just going to secure P2.
"I had a similar opportunity in the first stint. I felt like on lap two or three, I was, I thinking, just within DRS but didn't, you know, fully capitalise on that opportunity. And I got to the end of the straight thinking, oh, '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 yeah, you know, I wouldn't be sat here without that. 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," he admitted, "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.
"I think that ranks as probably my best win of my career, I would say," grinned the Australian. "I think trying to soak up that pressure for so long in that race, yeah, that was incredibly tough.
"In the first stint, when Charles was just pulling away pretty comfortably, I thought we were going to be second at best," he admitted. "Even Checo was keeping me very honest, and I could see Carlos was very quick at the end of the medium stint.
"I saw an opportunity or half an opportunity after the pit stop and knew I had to try and take it," he continued. "I knew that getting to the lead was going to be one thing. But I knew I had my work cut out after that to try and stay there because, yeah, I didn't feel like we were the quickest in that first stint. So, it was very hard work.
"I think having clean air did help quite a bit," he admitted. "But yeah, that, I think for me, has to be one of the best races I've done."
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