It might seem insignificant, but seat fitting is an important process each team goes through with both its drivers before the start of an F1 season. Like all his counterparts, Oscar Piastri went through the drill as well in 2024. Despite that, his seat turned out to be uncomfortable—one which he had to put up with for fourteen races.
The discomfort got to the point where the Aussie broke a rib during the British GP. Silverstone, infamous for its fast pace and physically demanding layout, delivered a bitter surprise for Piastri. After being thrown around in his own car, turn after turn, he limped out, badly bruised.
One would believe that to be the final race marking his suffering. Unfortunately, the #81 driver had to endure two more races sitting on the same seat, all while nursing the injury from Britain. However, once the mid-season break kicked in, he seized the opportunity to make some necessary changes.
“So, Silverstone was a pretty nasty weekend, and then, the next couple of races, as well, were a bit sore. But we changed a few things with my seat and stuff to make it a bit more comfy. But, no, there’s no drama or dramatic stories,” Piastri told BBC for the Back At Base Season 2 podcast.
Surprisingly, the 23-year-old kept his injury a secret from his fans until the mid-season break. It was only when the break began that he shared a post featuring an X-ray of his ribs. In his own cheeky way, Piastri wrote, “First part of the season done. First GP victory. First broken bone. Rib’s enjoying the break.”
Piastri fought through pain to bag first F1 race win
The Melbourne-born driver may have been physically battered, but he walked into the Hungarian GP, eyeing nothing less than a victory. Piastri capitalized on a poor start by his teammate Lando Norris, who had started from pole position, to seize the race lead.
That effort, however, came undone when McLaren strategists pitted Norris earlier to cover the threat posed by Lewis Hamilton. The move allowed the #4 driver to undercut his teammate and take the race lead.
[Oscar Piastri] First part of the season done. First GP victory. First broken bone. Rib’s enjoying the break
byu/PradaAndPunishment informula1
It was only after his race engineer pleaded with him several times over the radio that Norris gave the lead back to Piastri with just two laps to go. Nevertheless, it marked the Australian’s first race win, one that he earned while fighting through the pain of a broken rib.
