Oscar Piastri concluded his fiftieth Grand Prix weekend with a dominant victory. The McLaren driver started from pole position and essentially never relinquished the lead. As a result, Piastri has now overtaken Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
The Australian was able to immediately halt George Russell‘s advance at the start, maintaining a firm grip on the race lead. Piastri then drove unchallenged to victory, and even a restart after the safety car could not alter this outcome. With his second win of the year, the McLaren driver has overtaken Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.
“It’s been a fantastic weekend,” Piastri says with a beaming smile after the race. “It started with the qualifying yesterday. I can’t thank the team enough for the car they’ve given us. It’s a handy thing. I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to achieve this weekend. This has never been a circuit that really suits us, so it’s great that I’ve been able to secure this first victory for the team.”
Safety Car
The only moment when it became a bit tense for the race leader was when the safety car came onto the track. “Indeed, I would have preferred if the safety car hadn’t come out,” admits the newly crowned Grand Prix winner. “But I still had confidence. The pace was good, and I knew that only Lando and I still had a medium tyre left. And that was the tyre to use. I really wouldn’t have let the victory slip through my fingers. It’s going to be a great celebration.”
