Championship leader Oscar Piastri discussed his position ahead of the F1 Italian GP in Monza. In fact, after his impressive Grand Chelem in Zandvoort, the McLaren driver holds a 34 points lead over his teammate Lando Norris, who instead suffered from a technical DNF.
No rest for the wicked
However, Piastri doesn’t want to get too comfortable with his points advantage ahead of the F1 Italian GP in Monza. He will still go all out looking for a second win in a row, as he told selected medias when asked if his great lead will allow for him to make more calculations.
“Honestly, very little. I didn’t know that’s that, but thank you. I’ve had one of my own championships.I’ve had a much bigger gap than this and had it pretty much erased before the final round. So I’ve got personal experience of this not being a comfortable gap.
“It’s still far too early to be calculating and settling for positions that aren’t first. So for me, the approach is still exactly the same, and that won’t change until the gap is pretty significantly bigger or the amount of races is significantly smaller.”
Nothing will change for neither McLaren driver
Norris had started the past racing weekend with only nine points separating him from his fellow McLaren driver, but an unexpected issue blocked him from securing a fifth podium in a row.
Piastri explained he doesn’t believe that the British driver will change his race day approach, nor that the suddenly increased lead will deter him from fighting for the title.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think much will change. He’s certainly not out of the fight.Yes, it’s a bit more difficult now, but I don’t expect much to change. I think we’ll race each other the same way. I think the amount of risk-taking will be the same.”
Both young talents are on a quest to secure their first ever F1 title, and McLaren’s first championship since the beginning of Lewis Hamilton’s legacy back in 2008.
“We’re both trying to drive as fast as we can. It’s not like we’ve been holding anything back from that side of things. So I don’t think we’re going to need to change much.”
No risk mentality is key in Piastri’s F1 title charge
Piastri was also asked about the role his mentor and manager Mark Webber’s assistance is playing in leading him to the top spot of the F1 Italian GP first, and secondly of the entire season.
However, the Australian driver denied, focusing instead on his own mental strength and previous experience after having won Formula Renault Eurocar, F3 and F2 in back-to-back-to-back seasons.
“Virtually none, I would say. I think for me a lot of it is from, in some ways, personal experiences in championships, but also just how I think as a person. Yes, for me it’s just how I’ve always tried to go racing, trying to be taking the opportunities when they come, and obviously not taking too many risks.
“Five races ago, you didn’t know the championship picture was going to look like this. If you took a different amount of risk either way, then the gap is going to be potentially smaller than what it is.It could potentially be bigger, but I like to think that my approach to risk is pretty measured. For me, that doesn’t really change the championship situation.”
