Oscar Piastri says leading his first laps in Formula 1 during the Belgian Grand Prix’s sprint on Saturday is an unforgettable experience.
Max Verstappen started from pole position but heavy rain delayed the start and saw four additional formation laps completed behind the safety car to clear standing water and improve visibility. By the time the race started, Verstappen stayed out but Piastri immediately stopped for intermediates and took the lead for the next few laps as he undercut the Red Bull, but Verstappen eased past after another safety car period to win, with Piastri comfortably finishing second.
“Very, very happy. We tried our best,” Piastri said. “We boxed when the safety car came in, led a few laps. I tried my best but we were no match for Max. Nice to be up there in P2. I think, apart from Max, our pace was really strong, so full credit to the team again.
“The last three weekends we’ve had, it’s been pretty special, compared to where we have been, so I can’t thank them enough for the car. We’ve still got a little bit of work to do — clearly — to get right to the top, but it’s a lot nicer to be up there. To lead my first laps was a day I won’t forget.”
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Piastri had to lead the field to a restart and admits he was aware of the threat Verstappen would instantly pose but was surprised to be overtaken so quickly.
“You’re always focusing on trying to just do the best laps you can. I mean, when you’ve got Max and his car behind you, it doesn’t put your nerves at ease, put it that way. I knew it was going to be difficult to hold him behind, of course.
“I probably wasn’t expecting him to catch me literally at the top of Eau Rouge after the safety car restart, but such is our straight line speed. Yeah, it was cool. I was just focusing on trying to do the best job I could, knowing that it was probably going to be a ‘when’ Max came past, rather than an ‘if.’ But yeah, I tried my best and I think second was all we all had.
“I’ve done quite a few safety car restarts before, so it’s nothing new. But of course, you just try and do the best job you can in tricky conditions, with quite low tire temps at that point. So I tried the best that I could. I think I went a bit wide at Turn 1, which didn’t help things, but I don’t think it really made much difference. No, it was nice to be able to control a safety car restart again and hopefully there’s a few more opportunities in the future.”