Piastri: I learned a lot this weekend

Oscar Piastri finished third in Singapore, summing up the results of a productive weekend…

Q: Oscar, after starting fifth, you finished third – an excellent result. Was this the maximum after a failed qualification?
Oscar Piastri: I think so. On Saturday the result was far from ideal, but in the race I was aiming for the podium. We had lost so much time behind the Mercedes that this was the maximum we could do. So I am happy. We managed to keep the losses to a minimum.

There were some problems in practice, we made a step forward in qualifying and even if we didn’t achieve what we wanted, I learned a lot this weekend. We worked hard and got maximum points for the team. Overall I’m happy.

Q: You made a late pit stop, was it difficult to make the 39th lap on Medium?
Oscar Piastri: It was difficult in the last laps, but before that we had a big speed advantage over Mercedes. Lewis started on Soft, so I didn’t try to overtake him at the beginning of the race. I knew my battle would start much later, and that’s what happened.

So yeah, when I got into the disrupted airflow it was difficult, but I knew we had a lead on the pace and the longer we went the more opportunities there were because of the wear on the opponent’s tyres. If the safety car had come out we could have taken advantage of that. I think we did everything very well.

Q: This was the first Singapore Grand Prix without a safety car – the drivers had no opportunity to rest. How physically challenging was this race?
Oscar Piastri: The race was difficult. A bit easier than Qatar last year, but I would say this race is harder when you are riding alone.

The last fifteen laps after overtaking the Mercedes seemed longer to me than the first 45. It’s always like that here. When the air is blowing in your face, it’s even nice. But at the end of the race you lose concentration and the airflow doesn’t help anymore. It was definitely a tough night, but we get paid for it.

Q: Do you think victory in the Constructors’ Championship is already guaranteed for McLaren?
Oscar Piastri: The fight in the Constructors’ Championship has been in our favour for a long time. We have a fast car, we both score points consistently. So yes, I think we should win this title, but we can’t take victory for granted because in Formula 1 everything changes quickly.

Q: Have you felt the effect of the fourth DRS zone? Do you think the organisers should do more to facilitate overtaking on street circuits?
Oscar Piastri: I think the fourth DRS zone at this circuit hasn’t really been tested. To be honest, it hasn’t changed the world. I did both overtakes in Turn 7, so… the part of the track where the new DRS zone is is very slippery, it’s hard to stay behind the other car and the straight isn’t long enough to attack. To be honest, it’s changed almost nothing.

Source: F1 News

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