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Piastri ignored race engineer advice during Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri impressed at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to achieve his second ever Formula 1 race victory. After his first race win in Hungary was surrounded by a team orders controversy with his teammate Lando Norris, Piastri’s win at Baku was a thrilling fight with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Speaking after the race, Piastri revealed the decisions he made which led to his success.
Piastri took matters into his own hands: ‘I wouldn't be sat here without that’
Piastri revealed that he was advised by his race engineer Tom Stallard against doing his overtake on Leclerc on lap 20 which ultimately led to his victory. “It's what won me the race. I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that (take the lead) in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres. So my engineer came on the radio and said, ‘let's not do that again’, basically. And I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside,” he explained.
The Aussie explains that he had spotted the possible overtake a few laps prior and made the decision himself to make the move. “I had a similar opportunity in the first stint. I felt like on lap two or three, I was, I think, just within DRS, but didn't fully capitalise on that opportunity. And I got to the end of the straight thinking ‘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, I wouldn't be sat here without that.”
After a close battle all season long, The Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw McLaren overtake Red Bull in the Constructor Championship, with the Woking-based team now leading by 20 points. There are now seven races remaining in the 2024 season with lots of points up for grabs for both teams.
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