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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri speaks exclusively to RacingNews365!
In an exclusive interview, Oscar Piastri discussed how he often needed McLaren’s “rescue” acts in races due to his “negative” qualifying results in the 2024 season. Despite securing his first two grand prix wins in Hungary and Azerbaijan, Piastri faced challenges with his qualifying performance, being out-qualified by teammate Lando Norris 21-3 throughout the season. While he made strides in races, Piastri acknowledged the need to improve his qualifying pace for the next season to consistently perform better.
Piastri expressed his satisfaction with his racecraft and overall improvements from the previous season, especially in managing tires and race pace. However, he highlighted that qualifying remained a concern, affecting his starting positions for races. Looking ahead, Piastri aims to enhance his qualifying performance to reduce the need for race rescues and ensure more consistent results.
Reflecting on McLaren’s season, Piastri emphasized the team’s strong performance despite facing stiff competition from Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes towards the end of the year. He acknowledged the challenges faced in different circuits, highlighting Bahrain as a positive step forward in pace and noting improvements on circuits that had been tough for him in the past. Overall, Piastri is focused on tidying up his performance and aiming for more consistent results in the upcoming season.