16 September 2024 03:39 am Views - 12
Oscar Piastri has truly come of age as a Formula One powerhouse, winning the “most stressful” race of his life at a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix to put McLaren back on top of the F1 world.
The race around the streets of Baku on Sunday (Monday AEST) ended with a virtual safety car after a late collision between Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull on the penultimate lap as they fought for third place.
But ahead of the chaos, there could be no doubting the consummate nature of the young Australian’s second grand prix triumph as he cruised past the chequered flag having survived, then completely tamed the formidable challenge of runner-up, pole-sitter Charles Leclerc.
“That was probably the most stressful afternoon of my life,” Piastri said calmly over the radio to his team, as McLaren’s papaya ranks celebrated going back to the top of the constructors’ championship, ahead of all-conquering Red Bull, for the first time in a decade.
Ferrari’s Baku specialist Leclerc had been hot on Piastri’s tail for 31 laps after the man from Melbourne had taken him by surprise on the 20th lap with a daring overtake on the inside.
But from then on, the 23-year-old delivered a defensive driving masterclass to constantly frustrate and repel Leclerc’s charges at that very same first turn when in DRS range, before eventually pulling away in the last few laps as the Ferrari’s rear tyres degraded.
“I felt like we had a little bit of extra grip and I had to go for it because I knew that if I didn’t get past at the start of the stint that I was never going to get past,” said Piastri, who narrowly avoided hitting the wall at the end of the risky manoeuvre.
“I went for a pretty big lunge and managed to pull it off and hang on for dear life for the next 35 laps.”
It was a second career victory for Piastri in just his second F1 season, but while the maiden win in Hungary in July had a slightly tainted feel as the victory was gifted to him under team orders, this one felt like the real deal.
Or, as Piastri’s manager, former F1 star Mark Webber, observed in the paddock: “He’s arrived.”
It was also the day Piastri burst from the growing shadow of his teammate Lando Norris, who, McLaren declared earlier in the week, would get preferential treatment over the Australian as he shoots for the F1 title.
Starting from 15th on the grid after his qualifying woes, Norris had a big afternoon too, weaving through the field for fourth, albeit helped by the late collision between Perez and Sainz, who emerged unscathed after they went into the wall.
That enabled Mercedes’ George Russell to finish third, with Norris, who also got the fastest lap bonus-point, also edging out-of-sorts championship leader Max Verstappen, who had to settle for fifth.
“I am a little bit surprised. When you start 15th and he started sixth, you don’t expect to beat him,” smiled Norris.
Ironically, McLaren’s main man Norris had also earlier had to play the key role in supporting Piastri, holding up a charging Perez to allow the Australian to emerge from a pit-stop ahead of the Red Bull.
“I did my small part for the team, which helped us get to P1 in the constructors’ which is probably the thing that makes me happiest,” Norris said.
It enabled McLaren to lead by 20 points from Red Bull, while Verstappen (313pts) is now only 59 clear of Norris (254), with Leclerc third on 235 and Piastri fourth on 222 in the drivers’ standings.
British rookie Oliver Bearman collected the final point for Haas as a stand-in for suspended Kevin Magnussen.
Bearman has now scored points for two different teams in his two races after making his race debut with Ferrari as a stand-in for appendicitis-stricken Sainz in March. (Financial Review)