A Look at Piastri’s Performance in the Race

Oscar Piastri faced a challenging beginning as Max Verstappen overtook him on the opening lap. However, buoyed by the enthusiasm of the home crowd, he still had plenty of determination left in the race.

Lap 17: Taking advantage of a misstep from Verstappen at Turn 11, Piastri ascended to P2. The crowd erupted in cheers.

Lap 33: With both McLaren drivers given the green light to race, Piastri unfortunately ran a bit wide at Turn 6, costing him 1.5 seconds to Norris. It was a pivotal moment in the contest.

Lap 34: A crash involving Alonso brought out the safety car, prompting a flurry of pit stops. Piastri maintained his position and switched to hard tyres.

Lap 42: The safety car returned to the pits with rain clouds looming ominously. Piastri held his position, but the weather remained a concern.

Lap 45: Rain wreaked havoc as Piastri spun out at Turn 13. He managed to recover from the grass, switched to intermediate tyres, and rejoined the race in P15, one lap down with just 11 laps remaining. Despite the setback, he was far from finished.

Lap 47: The safety car was deployed once more, leading to another series of pit stops. Piastri advanced to P13 as the race approached its concluding phases, with Lawson and Bortoleto both having spins.

Lap 53: Piastri made up two positions, moving into P11.

Lap 55: With DRS activated, he executed a clean manoeuvre on Gasly, slotting into the top 10. It was a commendable recovery drive under difficult conditions.

Final Lap: Piastri battled fiercely until the end, making a late charge past Lewis Hamilton to clinch P9. It was a display of resilience in front of the home crowd as his teammate Lando Norris clinched victory at Albert Park, marking a monumental moment for McLaren.

Additional Fun Facts

A record-breaking crowd of approximately 465,000 attended over the four days, setting a new benchmark for Melbourne.

McLaren last led the world championship in 2012.

The race featured three safety cars, which meant Motorsport Australia officials were quite busy clearing six vehicles from the track.