Oscar Piastri said his bold attacking manoeuvre to rattle Max Verstappen at the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is “what won us the race”.
The Australian came out all guns in blazing at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit after starting the race in second position.
Piastri drew level with Verstappen on the run towards the first turn, and then held firm on the inside line of the left-hand bend to stay on the track as the reigning world champion cut the second corner to move back in front before an opening lap safety car.
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Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty as a result, and it proved costly as he served the punishment during his sole pit stop and he finished 2.8 seconds behind Piastri in second place.
It was the third win of the season for the 24-year-old from Melbourne in his McLaren as he now sits atop the driver’s standings, and post-race he shed light on his aggressive mindset.
“Once I got on the inside, I wasn’t coming out of Turn 1 in second,” Piastri said.
“I tried my best, obviously the stewards had to get involved but I thought I was plenty far enough up and in the end that’s what got me the race. So yeah, very happy with all the work we’ve been doing with the starts and that’s what won us the race today.
“It was really tricky to follow out there, I couldn’t really stay with Max at the end of the first stint, just chewed up my tyres and then the clean air was nice after the pitstops,” Piastri added.
“Great race, we did the parts we needed to right, still need a bit more I think, Max was a little bit too close for our liking but a great race and a great weekend.”
Speaking to Sky Sports post-race as well, Piastri opened up further on the incident with Verstappen on the opening lap, which prompted Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to bring a print out of a screenshot of the two cars to the media call to slam the stewards decision to give his main driver a penalty.
“I don’t know where Max was supposed to go at that first corner. We’ve lost the race by 2.6 seconds, so it’s tough,” Horner told Sky Sports.
“I think the most positive thing for us today is that the pace was there. It was a very positive race. Congrats to Oscar, but disappointed not to get the win.”
“He just forced me off,” Verstappen said after Piastri told his team on the radio that “he needs to give that back, I was ahead”.
Upon learning of the penalty via the team radio, Verstappen swore in response before adding “that is lovely”.
On the other hand, McLaren boss Zak Brown was pleased the penalty was issue on Verstappen.
“I definitely thought a penalty was deserved. Oscar was clearly up the inside, got a better start, and you know, you need to use the race track,” he said.
“Whether it’s a five-second penalty or give the position back, I think it could go either way. I thought it was definitely appropriate. It was Oscar’s corner, and at some point you’ve got to concede.”
But Piastri was not concerned about Red Bull’s objections, saying that his rival would have done exactly the same thing in the same position.
“I knew it was going to be a hard battle and I knew that I had to be firm as I knew if it was roles reversed, it probably would have looked identical in the opposite direction,” Piastri said.
“The launch was mega. Got a really good jump, and then the drive out after that was mega as well, so that was what got us the race.
“Not ideal having to sit in Max’s dirty air for the first stint because at the end I had nothing. My tyres were dead.”
On his out lap after pitting, Piastri completed a sensational inside passing move on Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to show off his dare once again.
Despite showing off such power and skill, Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris, who finished fourth, said post-race that Red Bull were the fastest car of the day.
But the Australian, who has now won the same amount of career races as the Brit with five, refuted that claim.
“No, we were much faster,” he said bluntly.
As has been the case all season, McLaren thrived in stifling conditions with their car holding up on a smouldering track.
Despite the race being held at night, the heat was oppressive.
Tyres suffered as a result, and the driver’s battled too with Piastri thankful his water bottle was functioning this time after it broke during his previous win in Bahrain.
Add in the high-speed nature of the street circuit and it is little wonder the Australian said it was one of the most challenging races of his career and he was desperate to find a couch post-race.
“That was one of our biggest upgrades this week, the drinks bottle was working,” Piastri said with a chuckle.
“That was good, got some fluids on-board which was nice, but it’s always a tough race around here.
“It’s a little bit later in the year this year as well which I think is a little bit warmer, a little bit more humid and definitely one of the toughest races I’ve had in my career so glad I could come out on top in it.”