Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has made a big call in Oscar Piastri‘s favour, saying the Australian has the “edge” over teammate Lando Norris after his faultless win in Miami.
Monday marked Piastri’s third consecutive grand prix win – the first time in 28 years a McLaren driver has won three grands prix in a row.
It is the first time an Aussie driver has won three races in a row since Alan Jones in 1980 and 1981.
READ MORE: How Benji stopped Tigers from ‘imploding’ after Galvin saga
READ MORE: ‘Massive call’ hands Raiders controversial golden point win
READ MORE: Drastic call Port must consider after ‘alarming’ losses
The Australian superstar extended his lead in the Formula 1 drivers’ championship with the victory and leads Norris by 16 points in the standings.
“[He’s] definitely got the edge over Norris when it comes to race craft,” Brundle said of Piastri.
“Norris seems to have a fraction of an edge over pace, but…Piastri is getting the job done.
“He’s getting moves done. He’s not making mistakes. And he’s getting victories.”
Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren celebrates the F1 Grand Prix of Miami. Getty
Brundle says Piastri’s consistency is what has been leading the Aussie to continued success.
Jenson Button – the 2009 F1 world champion – echoed those sentiments, saying his “pace was unbelievable.”
“Amazing job by Oscar this weekend. As soon as he gets in the lead he’s formidable. He just controls the race and it’s extraordinary to watch,” Button said.
Piastri started Monday’s race in fourth place but leapt to second in the first four laps.
He then took the lead on lap 14 when he overtook polesitter Max Verstappen.
By lap 18 he drove to an eight-second lead, and held it to finish ahead of Norris with Mercedes driver George Russell taking an opportunistic final spot on the Miami podium.
Russell was able to leapfrog Verstappen for third after he benefitted from the Virtual Safety Car, leaving the Red Bull driver searching for pace and driving home in fourth.
“I won the race that I really wanted to,” Piastri said.
“Yesterday was a tricky day. The sprint was what it was, but qualifying was probably one of my trickiest sessions of the year, and to come away with a win still on Sunday (Monday AEST) is an impressive result.
“There was a bit of argy bargy at turn one which helped me out a bit, and then I was aware enough to avoid Max coming through at turn one.
“The car was unbelievable today.
“I think towards the end I started to get things a bit more back under control… very happy with the win, very happy with the points but constantly got to keep learning.
“Very happy to be leaving Miami on top.
“It’s just incredible, the hard work that’s gone in. I remember two years ago here in Miami we were genuinely the slowest team. I think we got lapped twice.
“To now have won the grand prix by over 35 seconds to third is an unbelievable result and the hard work of every single person – firstly the people here at the track but everyone at the factory as well.”
The win extends Piastri’s championship lead ahead of teammate Norris. He has taken four of the season’s six race victories and looks to be the strongest contender for the drivers’ championship.
Norris started second on the grid next to polesitter Verstappen, but lost three places on the first couple of laps after running off the track trying to make a move on Verstappen.
“He forced me off… what am I meant to do, drive into the wall or something?” Norris said on team radio.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella admitted that the team came into the Miami weekend with the faster car in hot conditions and were able to maximise performance better than the rest of the grid.
“It proves that the car was very competitive today, well done to [our drivers] for exploiting the performance that we have available in the car,” said Stella.
“Especially in hot conditions it looks like our race pace is definitely very strong.”
Meanwhile, young Aussie driver Jack Doohan‘s race finished prematurely after a tangle and collison with Liam Lawson at turn one.
The 22-year-old’s race ended almost immediately after it began on Monday morning due to a tyre puncture from the incident.
Lawson managed to get his car back on the track but Doohan was forced off and his race was finished.
Doohan had qualified for the first time ahead of his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly in 14th and Sky Sports commentator David Croft admitted it was “wretched luck” in Miami for the young Australian.
Source link
