In a race characterised by multiple safety car interventions, Oscar Piastri secured third place at the F1 Imola Grand Prix despite starting from pole position. The Australian driver’s disappointment was palpable as he reflected on what might have been at the historic Imola circuit.
Promising start undone at turn 1
The anticipation surrounding Piastri was significant as he shared the front row with reigning champion Max Verstappen. However, the McLaren driver’s hopes of converting pole to victory were dealt an early blow when Verstappen executed a masterful overtaking manoeuvre around the outside at the first corner.
“I thought I had it pretty under control, and it was a good move from Max,” Piastri admitted in the post-race press conference after the F1 Imola GP. “I’ll learn for next time clearly. But at that point, I wasn’t overly concerned to not be in the lead, but then our pace just wasn’t as strong as I expected. So that compounded that first corner.”
Strategic challenges
What followed was a race of strategic complexity, with Piastri becoming one of the earliest frontrunners to pit on lap 13. This timing would ultimately prove critical as the race unfolded in unexpected ways.
“Not clear, but I think a lot of people around were struggling. I was starting to struggle a bit. We kind of discussed it a bit, I guess, but it’s something we still need to go through more clearly,” Piastri explained regarding the early stop decision. “Maybe we reacted a bit too quickly. But, yeah, we’ll have a look.”
The subsequent Virtual Safety Car period when Esteban Ocon retired, followed by a full Safety Car after Kimi Antonelli’s car broke down, further complicated the strategic picture. These interruptions shuffled the field significantly, with Piastri finding himself having to defend his position against drivers on fresher tyres in the closing stages.
Maintaining perspective
Despite his evident disappointment, Piastri maintained a philosophical outlook on the F1 Imola GP’s events, recognising that challenging races are part of a championship campaign.
“I think, obviously, slight disappointment, probably. It’s never a great day when you start first and finish third,” he said. “Just not a great day. I think Turn 1 was not ideal.”
The Australian driver said, “I think in the end, our stop timing wasn’t… I think the race panned out differently to how we expected at the start of the first stint.”
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Norris nails a gutsy pass on Piastri 🍿#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/aEQmPzOZxO
He added, “Given people had fresher tyres at the end, hanging on to a podium is not a bad result. And you’re going to have tough days in the championship, and this is clearly one of them. So as long as we learn the lessons, then that’s all I can ask.”
Looking forward to Monaco
With Formula 1’s next stop being the iconic streets of Monaco, Piastri has reason for optimism. The Australian secured a podium at the principality during his rookie season last year and clearly relishes the unique challenge presented by the tight and twisting circuit.
“It’s a circuit I enjoy. Last year was a really good weekend for me, so hopefully we can go one better this year,” Piastri noted. “That would be nice, but it’s going to be interesting to see how these—well, it’s the same tyres as this weekend—but how they perform in a very different environment like Monaco.”
For McLaren, the Imola weekend ultimately delivered a double podium with Lando Norris taking second place behind Verstappen
