Piastri was already hoping Verstappen would have problems with his tyres

''It was a productive Sprint. Finishing second is always a good result. I learned a lot. We didn't quite have enough pace for Lewis in front but we have some good ideas for this afternoon and tomorrow to see if we can go one better. We have good pace in the car but have some competition this weekend as the Ferraris look rapid,'' Piastri revealed after the race.

The duel with Verstappen

Speaking to Sky Sports, Piastri was then asked about the duel with Max Verstappen. The Dutchman initially looked set to battle Lewis Hamilton, but eventually dropped back. At that point, Piastri slouched and also held out hope that the same would happen to Hamilton.

''I was being patient really. I knew that there was a lot of uncertainty on just how bad the tyres were going to be towards the end.I had to bide my time and wait for, well, I was hoping that both of them wouldn't struggle towards the end. I think clearly Max started to struggle, but Lewis having a clean air out in front helped a lot. So, it definitely influenced as much as I could do today, but I still think it's a really good result.''

This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij.