During the F1 summer break, Oscar Piastri revealed that he broke one of his ribs during the first half of the season. While the recovering Aussie was quite nonchalant about it, he mostly broke it at the Austrian or the British GP, per the date of his scan. Motorsport.com also reported that it was due to a poorly fitted seat by McLaren in Piastri’s car.
Now, F1 expert Tim Hauraney explained the reasoning of how the poor fitting of the seat may have led to a broken rib for Piastri. Speaking on the Nailing the Apex podcast, Hauraney stated that the seat not being proper can lead to drivers moving in the cockpit.
“Even moving a couple inches here or there, it is magnified when you are pulling like 6Gs, 5Gs laterally in a corner. Your whole body is shifting from all that weight being sent through your body”, he added.
Moreover, if the tracks are very “fast” and physically “demanding”, then drivers can experience pain issues in their hips, back, and overall abdominal core. About Piastri‘s case, Hauraney explained that due to a pinch point in his seat, the run of races from Austria to Hungary would have been quite challenging for the 23-year-old.
As these tracks were very fast or physically demanding due to lateral load through the corners, he said, “That is enough for you to break a rib.” Nevertheless, Piastri delivered excellent performances in these races.
On top of that, the #81 driver won his maiden Grand Prix in Hungary. The fact that he did it with a broken rib makes it even more commendable.
Piastri praised for his demeanor
Hauraney’s co-host Adam also highlighted the nonchalant nature of Piastri’s revelation about his broken rib. This aligns with the praise the Aussie has been getting for his calm demeanor after his Hungarian GP triumph. Meanwhile, Hauraney praised Piastri for braving it out on track to keep driving with a broken rib, as it is not easy for drivers to do so.
With lateral forces of over 6G easily at several tracks, drivers can aggravate such internal injuries while racing at 150 to 200 mph. However, Piastri managed the injury well to not only get podiums and a win but also bear the pain he would have experienced while racing.
