Stella highlights McLaren's pain after Australia win: 'Until that moment'
F1 News
Lando Norris' win has gotten McLaren's season off on the right foot, however, it's not as good as it could have been for the papaya team's principal, Andrea Stella.
12 laps before the end shock rain struck in Sector 3 and Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri went off at Turn 12. Although the driver of the McLaren #4 managed to regain control of his car un be on his way, local hero, Piastri, did not have the same luck, spinning off track and getting stuck on the grass, watching as all the drivers made their way past him, and with them his chances at being the first Australian driver to be on the podium at their home race.
Team principal, Stella, to media present at the track, including GPblog, explains the complex feelings behind the first success of the season for McLaren. "It's definitely mixed feelings, because until the moment where both drivers hit this sudden rain in the last sector, Oscar and Lando were driving brilliantly, both," said the Italian, observant of Piastr's woes. "And effectively Oscar just paid a bigger price than Lando with the going off track and then not being able to come out of the grass."
'Veteran-like Piastri deserved more'
He continued: "But I think Oscar today was deserving to be in contention for the victory until the last moment and he drove exceptionally well and when I use the verb driving that's not only driving the car around the track but it's also the kind of assessment of the conditions of the decisions that we should have taken, it was very lucid, very calm."
Piastri is entering his third year in F1, but he's already showing veteran-like capabilities, claims an "extremely impressed" Stealla. "He looks like one of the most expert drivers that I've worked with. So, extremely impressed by Oscar today, just a little bit unlucky."
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