Oscar Piastri celebrated his first Grand Prix win in a very subdued and calm manner. Many believe that the celebration wasn’t ecstatic because McLaren had to talk his teammate into giving up the lead, which left a sour taste in the young Aussie’s mouth. However, Damon Hill highlighted how Piastri is of a different breed than the other young drivers.
Will Buxton on X expressed the internal McLaren tussle denied the 23-year-old of the pure ecstasy of winning his first race in Hungary. However, many like British author Richard Williams disagreed and highlighted Piastri’s maturity.
Others agreed and suggested he does not look like an over-the-top, excitable chap, and always keeps a cool head. Hill also substantiated this general opinion with the help of an example. The 1996 F1 champion tweeted, “See Ted’s Notebook interview with him. Ted: “I hate ‘How does it feel?’ questions” OP (Oscar Piastri) “So do I. But let’s give it a go anyway” LOL.” as a reference.
See Ted’s Note book interview with him. Ted: “I hate ‘How does it feel?’ questions” OP “So do I. But lets give it a go anyway” LOL https://t.co/auX9WqLX8E #HungarianGP #f1
— Damon Hill (@HillF1) July 21, 2024
In the interview with F1 veteran journalist Ted Kravitz, the Aussie was calm as a cucumber and completely nonchalant. After greeting his fans and family at home, Piastri added that the win feels good and surreal but the feeling hasn’t truly sunk in.
“Hello everyone at home”
Ted bumps into a very happy Oscar Piastri pic.twitter.com/SDKxfTtegC
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 21, 2024
Even the excitement of his entire team wasn’t contagious enough to get him excited. However, this also highlights the 23-year-old’s mentality. Piastri was certain he would get a win sooner or later. Perhaps only winning the championship will bring him to tears. For now, he might have to fight hard for every win going ahead.
Piastri may not get another free pass from Lando Norris in the future
It was McLaren‘s own doing but perhaps the intra-team rivalry was inevitable. Norris is just a year and a half older than Piastri and both of them are supremely talented, performing at a similar level. As a result, they will regularly fight each other for race wins now that the Woking team has a competitive car.
However, Norris showcased how he was not happy swapping positions with the Australian despite being given an advantage by the team. McLaren pitted the Briton first ahead of Piastri, which gave him the advantage of an undercut on the latter. Naturally, Norris wasn’t ready to sacrifice his lead in the final stint to let Piastri win.
However, after much deliberation to undo the team’s strategic error, he reluctantly gave the position back to Piastri for his maiden Grand Prix victory. Although, this may be the last time Norris lets the Aussie by, given he is McLaren’s lead contender in the drivers’ championship.
Nonetheless, even Piastri would repay this favor, if and when Norris needs help in the title battle, later this season. But going into the next season, McLaren have a tough driver dynamic to handle if both drivers start winning races and challenge for the championship.
