Second in the sprint race and, more importantly, on pole for tomorrow’s race. Looking at the overall picture, it was a positive Saturday for Oscar Piastri, who, with today’s pole, has already taken an important step toward Sunday’s race. From what was observed in this morning’s sprint, running in clean air appears to be a crucial factor in making a difference.
Graining will likely decrease tomorrow as the track gets more rubbered in, and another key element will come into play: the use of the hard tire, which teams have saved specifically for the race, anticipating a two-stop strategy.
In the sprint, Oscar Piastri seemed to have the pace to challenge Lewis Hamilton, but when he lost time behind Max Verstappen and overheated his highly sensitive tires, his pace dropped dramatically. This is another reason why starting from pole could be key, allowing him to run in clean air without putting additional stress on the tires.
Oscar Piastri’s first Q3 lap, a 1:30.703, would have already been enough for pole, but he solidified his position with a second lap of 1:30.641, finishing 81 thousandths ahead of George Russell, while Norris aborted his second attempt after making a mistake.
This is Oscar Piastri’s first career pole, although he had already started from the front in the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he outqualified his teammate. That same weekend, he also claimed his first victory, though only in the sprint.
Oscar Piastri admitted that he didn’t feel fully comfortable throughout the session, only in Q3 when temperatures dropped slightly. “I think I found a good rhythm in Q3, whereas in Q1 and Q2, I struggled. Then in Q3, the car came alive. I’m happy with what I did in the end, even though the laps weren’t perfect. But I’m very happy to be on pole.”
“With the new asphalt, there’s a lot of grip, and for us, that’s the best feeling in the world. The only downside is that when you lose grip, you lose a lot. I think this weekend you’ve seen a lot of oversteer and mistakes.”
As mentioned, starting from pole should be an advantage: “I think this can be helpful. I wanted to make sure I stayed in clean air, but I was quite happy after the sprint. I think we did the best we could. I would have been happier if I had finished one position higher in the sprint, but given how the race played out, I couldn’t have asked for more. I think we learned a lot this morning, and I’m looking forward to putting it into practice tomorrow.”
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