Oscar Piastri reckons his capability to handle tyres in System 1 has undergone a “night-and-day” enchancment over his 2023 rookie season, however feels there’s nonetheless room to develop additional.
Though Piastri impressed in his debut F1 season final yr, the primary criticisms of his maiden season concerned his lack of expertise with managing the Pirelli tyres by way of a race distance – which often led to a race tempo drop-off versus Lando Norris.
This had improved over the course of 2023, though the Australian’s largest step in race stint administration arguably came visiting the winter and thus the 2 McLaren drivers had been rather more evenly matched over 2024.
Norris nonetheless retained a slight higher hand when it got here to general race tempo, main Piastri to counsel that tyre administration was nonetheless but to be mastered after his second season.
“I do not know if ‘mastered it’ is the phrase I might use. It is a lot improved however not mastered,” Piastri defined to Motorsport.com.
“I feel there’s been two or three races this yr the place it is nonetheless been – to not the identical extent as final yr, however nonetheless been difficult on that entrance, however I feel it has been a night-and-day enchancment in all places else.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Group
Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Pictures
“So I really feel like I do know rather more proactively what I have to do to handle the tyres now, which you type of should study the laborious manner, by way of expertise, which could possibly be fairly painful. So I really feel like I’ve made actually huge enhancements there.”
Piastri revealed that though apply allowed the drivers to experiment, the stint lengths had been so quick that it was unattainable to realize significant expertise of tyre administration past the races.
He mentioned that, having taken ‘painful’ classes by way of 2023 in understanding the bounds of the Pirelli tyre, he was now glad to have taken the hit in his rookie season to put the foundations for the long run.
“It’s totally troublesome [to work on] as a result of you’ll be able to solely do it within the races. I imply, you’ll be able to attempt to do it in apply and put the constructing blocks in,” he added.
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“However in apply you by no means fairly know if it may work or not, as a result of clearly the runs we do are nowhere close to a race distance.
“So a number of the methods you need to use and a number of the belongings you need to apply, you’ll be able to apply, however they do not at all times provide the clear solutions that you just’re after. Solely the races can try this.
“So it is just about making an attempt it within the races, which may be very troublesome and clearly very painful at occasions, as a result of in the event you get it fallacious, you clearly cannot simply push restart and check out once more. That is the race end result.
“And yeah, that was a bit irritating at occasions final yr, however I really feel like, once more, it has been a great enchancment to this season, so I am glad to have gone by way of these experiences.”
On this article
Jake Boxall-Legge
System 1
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
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