After three wins in a row, Oscar Piatri had to accept a setback again in Imola: After he was overtaken at the start in curve one of Max Verstappen, the McLaren pilot then put an early first pit stop on the traffic and thus on the loser road.
In the end, teammates Lando Norris also pushed himself past him on fresh tires, more than third place was therefore not in the Australian-but in the World Cup ranking Piatri still leads with 146 points, in front of Norris with 133 and Imola winner with 124 points.
If the victory is not inside due to the pace or the racing happiness, Piastri still eagerly tries points for the World Cup to hamsters – it is not very surprising that on Thursday before the Grand Prize of Monaco, when asked in which area he has developed the most since last year, he states: “I think that with me this is above all the consistency.”
In qualification finally on the “right side of the hundredths”
The World Cup leader explains: “I do not think that my basic skill in the race has changed – but I’m now fighting for victories instead of fourth or five. And as far as the maturity is concerned, I have probably taken a step forward, especially through a slightly changed mental attitude in certain situations,” reveals Piatri.
Especially in the fight for the starting places, they come into play: “I push a little more now to get these last hundredths out. Last year I was often on the wrong side of the hundredths in qualifying – now I start to be on the right side of these hundredths, which is of course nice.”
In principle, however, a very simple credo applies: “It is always a matter of finding the next step and continuously improving,” Piatri calls his recipe for success. Despite his calm manner, he has not missed that in the past few months there was “a lot going” to do him and his team: “Now the European part of the season – with the exception of the Canada trip in the middle – and everything is becoming a bit more structured,” Piatri hopes for a little more peace and relaxation.
Piatri Anno 2025: “So far not many setbacks”
He is satisfied: “So far there have been many setbacks.” Only his home game at the start of the season stands out negatively: “Of course, Melbourne was anything but satisfactory. But it has been going quite well since then. Imola was … Well, reality checks sounds a bit too hard, but it was a memory that not everything will run perfectly this year,” the World Cup leader gets back on the ground of the facts.
Sometimes the ability to earth, that is also part of the stars in the premier class: “We have to learn from such days, I special,” says Piatri – so that he can also implement his goal, which is: “To be strong on every route.” Next at the weekend in Monaco …