Oscar Piastri expressed his disappointment with McLaren’s decision during the British Grand Prix. The team chose to keep the Australian on the track for a lap longer than his teammate, Lando Norris, when it was time to switch to rain tires. Piastri believes that if McLaren had opted for a double-stack, they might have had a chance to win the race.
The Australian started the race in fifth place, but after qualifying, he indicated that he had the pace to finish higher than his starting position. Piastri demonstrated this in the first half of the race, and by lap 22, he was already in P2 behind teammate Norris. The McLaren driver seemed to have an easy time overtaking Verstappen, Russell, and Hamilton. For a brief moment, the Australian led the race when Norris went into the pit lane for intermediates. The McLaren team decided to keep Piastri out for a lap longer than his British teammate, causing Piastri to lose significant time and drop back to P6.
“That was painful,” Piastri reflected on McLaren’s decision. The Australian indicates that as soon as he passed the pit lane entrance, he knew it was the wrong choice. “The last corners were really tough. I could see on my dashboard that Lando was five seconds behind me when I drove into the pit lane. I knew then that I was in trouble. But actually, I knew right away that it was the wrong decision.”
‘With a double-stack, we could have won’
When asked if it was even possible for McLaren to execute a double-stack, Piastri responded, “Yes, it was,” the Melbourne native honestly admitted. “I think we need to analyze whether we really considered that option thoroughly.” However, the Australian also understands why his team ultimately made the wrong decision. “The conditions were difficult to assess at the time. Half of the track was hard to drive on, and it wasn’t until the lap I stayed out that the entire track became difficult to navigate. It was an incredibly tough choice. In hindsight, a double-stack would have given us a chance to win.”
