Oscar Piastri’s victory in last weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix marked his third win of the season, but the McLaren driver emphasized insists his team has “work to do” to preserve its slim advantage over Red Bull.
Starting from second on the grid, Piastri capitalized on Verstappen’s ill-fated move at the first corner and subsequent five-second penalty to take the lead during the race’s pitstop cycle and win by 2.8 seconds after 50 laps.
The Australian driver’s efforts showcased once again McLaren’s strength, yet highlighted the growing threat from Red Bul and Verstappen.
“It wasn’t the easiest of wins,” Piastri admitted, quoted by Speedcafe. “I think the start was tough, the first stint was tough behind Max.
“Once I had some clean air, it was a bit easier to manage, but I still couldn’t afford to take my foot off the gas. I could control it reasonably well, but it was a little bit tighter than I would have liked.”
Trailing Verstappen closely in the opening stint, Piastri stayed within three seconds of the four-time champion. Even after the pit stops, with positions swapped, the gap remained tight.
McLaren’s Edge Under Pressure
Interestingly, Piastri achieved his fastest lap of the race on his final tour, suggesting untapped pace in the McLaren, though he downplayed that assumption.
“I don’t know how long I could’ve done that, but I felt like I was taking decent risks for the race,” he said of his final stint.
“The last lap, obviously, I wanted to see exactly what I had, but there’s not too much point taking a crazy risk as well.
"Once we had some clean air, our pace was okay, but at the end of the Medium stint, I had nothing for Max, and it was a struggle. I think the pace wasn’t as much of an advantage as I wanted it to be, but it was good enough.”
While Piastri celebrated, teammate Lando Norris, who climbed from 10th to fourth, suggested Red Bull had the faster car in Jeddah. But the day’s victor disagreed, maintaining McLaren’s superiority.
“I think our car was still quicker,” he insisted. “It was difficult to be in dirty air. Max was quicker than I expected for sure in the race.
“Over one lap, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Max quick, but in the race, I wasn’t expecting to struggle so much at the end of the Medium stint, that’s for sure.”
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Recognizing Red Bull’s unexpected race pace, Piastri stressed the need for continued improvement.
“Clearly, we’ve got some work to do,” he said. “Our car is still very good, but when you look at the layout here compared to Suzuka, it’s the most similar so far, and it’s been the two where Max and Red Bull have been closer.
We still have an advantage. I don’t think it’s as big on surfaces like this and layouts like this, but we still have a very strong car at the moment.”
With 99 points to his name, Piastri now leads the championship by 10 over Norris, while Verstappen sits just two points further back. McLaren holds a commanding position in the constructors’ standings as well, 77 points clear of Mercedes and nearly doubling Red Bull’s tally.
As F1 heads toward the European leg of the season, the spotlight will remain firmly on whether McLaren can maintain—or grow—their slim but crucial advantage.
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Piastri: McLaren still faster than Red Bull but has ‘work to do’ F1i.com.
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