Second consecutive victory for McLaren. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, finishing first and second respectively, secured a one-two finish without much trouble for the papaya-colored team. There was nothing the rivals could do: George Russell, starting from second place, was immediately overtaken by his compatriot, while the two Ferraris and Max Verstappen were too far behind in terms of pace to challenge the British team. This is the brief summary of the result.
Oscar deserved the victory, Lando too imprecise
The management of the two drivers was perfect: the Australian got off to a good start, closed the door on Russell much like Lewis Hamilton did to Max Verstappen in the Sprint yesterday, and maintained a steady pace throughout the Grand Prix, never risking a comeback from Lando, who did well to pass George Russell at the start. After that, both MCL39s managed their tires without any issues.
Oscar, with his third career victory, gained a total of 11 points on his teammate, considering the 7 points from the Sprint, but talking about the championship standings now seems rather premature, both because only two races have passed and because Verstappen and Russell are still between the two papaya drivers in the standings.
The only moment of concern for Lando came at the end, when his brake pedal started acting up: in the final laps, the Briton was forced to significantly slow down, and with a few more kilometers, he might have lost his position to Russell. An unexpected reliability issue that worried both McLaren and the British driver himself.
Oscar even faster than Lando
Piastri’s race was flawless, but even throughout the rest of the weekend, the Australian driver made far fewer mistakes than Norris, fully deserving the win. The feeling is that, in the long run, Oscar might actually be more prepared than Lando Norris, especially considering what happened in Melbourne, where the number 81 also showed he was faster than his teammate before the team order that froze the positions.
“I hope to fight for the title this season,” said Oscar Piastri. “It was a fantastic weekend, the car was exceptional, and today was a pleasant surprise. We were worried about tire wear, but we were perfect throughout the weekend. This victory is the one I felt I deserved since last week. I’m really happy, especially for the incredible work of the team and the one-two finish we achieved.”
“The medium tires were difficult to manage, but the hards performed better than expected. We all managed to complete the race with just one stop, except for Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, which stopped twice. It was a tough race, but I’m very happy with the team’s performance and the final result.”
Lando between mistakes and brake problems
Norris’ weekend was not smooth. Between the two qualifying sessions and the Sprint Race, the McLaren driver made multiple mistakes, and honestly, he wouldn’t have deserved the victory. It is evident, even by his own admission, that at times he does not feel entirely comfortable with an extremely strong MCL39, which for long stretches has been dominant—at least so far—but is probably too nervous for him in certain aspects. Piastri, on the other hand, seems to have a better overall feeling, which could pay off in the long run.
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