P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Piastri ‘surprised’ by McLaren team orders
Oscar Piastri expressed his surprise at McLaren’s implementation of team orders during the Qatar Grand Prix. Although he and teammate Lando Norris finished with a gap of 1.1 seconds, the team chose to impose team orders after their final pit stop in order to protect their double podium. Despite feeling that he was faster on the fresher Hard tyres, Norris respected the team’s decision considering the concerns about tyre wear and track limits. The team’s strong performance over the weekend earned them 47 points, bringing them closer to Aston Martin, who are currently in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship, just 11 points ahead. Piastri managed to make significant progress at the start of the race and avoided any trouble, attributing his success to well-timed braking and fortunate circumstances. McLaren has demonstrated promising pace in recent races and has emerged as the closest challenger to Red Bull. Piastri noted the difference in race strategy compared to Japan, stating that the three pit stops allowed them to push flat out throughout the entire race, but acknowledged that there is still room for improvement.
Source: RacingNews 365
