Formula One’s Oscar Piastri defends McLaren strategy calls
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McLaren's Oscar Piastri has said that the differing race strategies had been discussed with the team.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ZANDVOORT – Oscar Piastri has backed McLaren over strategy calls despite them arguably denying him a victory at the last race in Hungary and reducing his Formula One championship lead.
The Australian qualified ahead of teammate Lando Norris at the Hungaroring and appeared the quicker car of the duo during the race.
But after Norris, 25, lost places early on to Mercedes’ George Russell and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, the Briton opted for a one-stop strategy which paid off and denied his two-stopping teammate the victory.
Norris, winner of three of the last four races, is now nine points behind Piastri, 24, with 10 rounds remaining. McLaren have gone one-two in the last four races.
In the aftermath, McLaren defended the race effectively being decided on strategy and their drivers’ right to adopt different approaches.
Piastri told reporters ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort that the differing race strategies had been discussed.
“Yeah, we’ve spoken about it since then,” he said on Aug 28. “I think ultimately there are race situations where being the second car from the team on track or just... being the last car in the train or the last car in the group, you’ve got a lot less to lose.
“So that kind of aspect is always going to be there. And I think it would be unfair to neutralise that just because of wanting to be on the same strategy.”
Piastri also said the discussions about what might have been done differently had been “very productive”.
“So, I think we’re still going to be free to pick alternating strategies if that’s what we want,” he added.
“It’s obviously a difficult thing to try and cover, different strategies, especially when you’re in the position we are in the championships.”
McLaren are 299 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings and cruising to their second successive crown. The drivers’ duel is far closer as Piastri and Norris could take it down to the wire.
In other news, Russell said Lewis Hamilton was talking nonsense about being “absolutely useless” and expected his former Mercedes teammate to bounce back from a tough start to his time at Ferrari.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, winner of a record 105 races, was hard on himself after qualifying 12th in Hungary while teammate Charles Leclerc secured pole.
The 40-year-old has yet to stand on the podium for the Italian team.
“Of course he’s talking nonsense when he says something like that because he’s the greatest driver of all time,” Russell, 27, said.
“He’s still an exceptional driver, we saw it – he obviously won the sprint straight away at the start of the year in China. He’s still clearly got it but Formula One is not an easy sport, especially if the team is not performing at the highest level that compounds the issue.
“I think right now, 14 races down, probably every driver bar two are looking forward to 2026 and for a fresh opportunity to fight for a championship.
“For someone like Lewis, that’s what he lives for, not just getting in the points.” REUTERS
