Some Formula 1 races live in the memory because of thrilling action, some for controversy, some even for being so dull they forced a rule change.
And then there’s Oscar Piastri’s first F1 win, the benchmark for sheer awkwardness.
Piastri is happy to be back in Hungary this week, but his breakthrough victory there last year remains a lesson for McLaren as it tries to manage his title fight with teammate Lando Norris.
It’s all the more important now. Piastri has developed into a genuine title contender over the last year and leads Norris by 16 points following his victory in Belgium last week.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself that I can do it,” the Australian said of his title chances Thursday. “The pace in the last few weekends, especially (Belgium), I’ve been very confident in and very proud of. I’m more than capable of continuing that for the rest of the year.”
McLaren can reach some milestones this weekend, with a potential 200th win in F1 for the team. It could also be Piastri and Norris’ fourth one-two finish in a row, a feat McLaren last managed in 1988.
Managing the title rivalry
Piastri took the win last year in Hungary, but only after McLaren had to plead over the radio with Norris to “do the right thing” and let Piastri past, something the British driver was reluctant to do.
Piastri had been leading but McLaren’s pit strategy — which would normally favor the leader — had put Norris ahead. Piastri thinks the team can still take positives from that situation.
“I think it underlined the good nature in the team. It was obviously a slightly awkward situation, but it highlighted that we will do the right thing in all circumstances — well, ideally all circumstances — when we’re on track,” Piastri said.
“It showed the trust that we have with the team and with each other as well, that things will be put the right way.”
F1 has a history of title fights turning team relationships sour — not least at McLaren with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost over 30 years ago — but Piastri and Norris have kept their rivalry friendly. Even so, there’s been a collision in Canada, a near-miss in Austria and Piastri’s rejected request for Norris to give up the lead in Britain.
Piastri said one factor preventing his relationship with Norris from deteriorating is that both are committed to keeping McLaren on top in F1 for “many years to come.”
“We’ve all seen how it can go wrong, but we have a lot of reasons to push for it to not go wrong,” he added.
Another wet race possible
F1 could be set for its third wet race in a row Sunday after a rain-delayed start last week in Belgium divided opinion among drivers and fans.
Max Verstappen argued that “we could have started way sooner” and said the lack of racing in wet conditions was “a shame”, but Piastri and others pointed to the poor visibility and particular safety concerns at the high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
“(Visibility) is always much worse in the car than it looks on TV, and I think the FIA has done a very good job of listening to us and taking that feedback on board,” Piastri said. “The feeling in this room would be pretty different if we had a big crash last week.”
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