Oscar Piastri has significantly improved his tire management in the 2024 Formula 1 season. The Australian speaks of a big step forward.
“I don’t know if ‘mastery’ is the right word, but I have improved massively,” says Oscar Piastri at the end of a successful Formula 1 season in 2024. The 26-year-old took two victories and was regularly at the top According to the Australian, his tire management has improved significantly compared to 2023, which is why he was more successful with McLaren.
“I think it’s a difference like night and day,” the youngster compares his skills in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. However, the McLaren driver doesn’t want to talk about perfection, because he still had problems with the tires in some races in 2024 to bring it into the optimal working window.
But what has Piastri worked on to better handle the Pirelli tires? “I now know better what I can do proactively to manage the tires,” reports the race winner from Hungary and Azerbaijan. “I had to take the rocky road and gain experience. That was painful. But I think I have improved a lot in this area.?
Piastri at eye level
While he continually lost ground to his teammate Lando Norris in the races in his rookie year, McLaren’s young guns drove on equal terms in the 2024 season. According to Piastri, when a newcomer comes to the premier class, there is no time to deal with the tires: “You can only learn that in the race. Of course you can also try something out in training, but you never know whether it will be of any use. because you don’t drive anywhere near the race distance.?
That’s why the only thing that counts is the race, which is why inexperienced drivers are doomed to try out techniques to get the tires under control, exactly when it matters.
“That can sometimes be a real headache during the race,” says Piastri. “If you make a mistake, you can’t just try again. This then directly influences the race result. That was frustrating at times last year, but we have improved a lot in 2024. I’m glad to have had this experience.”