Hungarian Grand Prix winner Oscar Piastri admitted he wasn’t sure whether team mate Lando Norris would obey McLaren’s orders to give him the lead of the race.
Piastri took his maiden grand prix victory after leading the majority of the race by beating Norris to the first corner at the start.
However, Piastri dropped behind Norris in the final pit cycle when Norris was called in to switch to fresh tyres two laps earlier than his race-leading team mate. This allowed Norris to undercut Piastri and take the lead.
Despite McLaren lobbying him for many laps to hand the lead back to Piastri, Norris remained out front. He eventually slowed to allow Piastri through with three laps remaining, allowing the second-year driver to claim his first ever grand prix victory.
“It’s very, very special,” Piastri said after the race. “This is really the day I dreamed of as a kid – standing on the top step of an F1 podium.
“Obviously [it was] a bit complicated at the end, but I put myself in the right position at the start. Thank you to the team for an amazing effort and an amazing car. It’s a hell of a lot of fun racing with McLaren, so I can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to be in F1. To have a win together 18 months in is an incredible feeling.”
Asked about Norris waiting until the closing laps to let him through, Piastri admitted he had grown more anxious as the chequered flag drew closer.
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“The longer you leave it, of course, the more you get a bit nervous,” he said. “But it was well executed by the team.
“I think it was the right thing. I put myself in the right position at the start and with the different strategy we had, yes, my pace probably wasn’t as quick as I would have liked in the last stint, but I was still in the right position to make it happen. So well executed from the team.”
Piastri’s win was McLaren’s second of the season and the team’s first one-two since 2021. The race winner is confident that McLaren will continue to fight for victories over the rest of the season, including next weekend in Spa-Francorchamps.
“I think we’ve proven this year that we can be quick in any circuit, any condition,” Piastri said. “We’re always there at the front.
“Spa’s not been the happiest of hunting grounds for us recently, but I’m confident we’ll be strong. We’ve got a car that’s become a real all-rounder so I’m super confident and, I…
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