In just his second F1 season, Oscar Piastri can already call himself a Grand Prix winner, thanks to his Hungarian GP victory earlier this year. But what makes this even more special is the fact that he won the race with a broken rib – something which he did not reveal until two weeks later.
Currently enjoying the summer break with his girlfriend Lily Zneimer, Piastri gave an update about his injury.
The McLaren driver put up a picture on Instagram with the caption, “Sunned and healed. Ready for some more race cars.” The word ‘healed’ suggested that he had gotten better, and to further prove that, he also posted a picture of him playing padel.
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How Piastri injured himself remains unclear, but he certainly picked it up sometime around the Austrian GP, as per multiple sources. However, it did not stop him from performing to the best of his abilities. In fact, he has finished on the podium in all but one race since Austria.
Overall, the last eight races heading into the summer break were fruitful for the Melbourne-born driver. He outscored Lando Norris by 10 points in total during this time and is now close to grabbing P3 away from Charles Leclerc in the championship standings.
Piastri still has a long way to go in F1
Piastri is P4 in the standings, 32 points behind teammate Norris, who is in second place. If he catches the Bristol-born driver in the remaining 10 races of the campaign, it will be a big achievement for him. But that is not where his ambitions lie. Piastri wants to win the World title, something he could wait a while for.
Next season, if McLaren maintains its level, the Aussie could launch a title charge from the very get-go. However, this season, his focus would be on helping his team win the Constructors’ championship.
McLaren is 42 points behind Red Bull the standings, and the Woking-based team coming out on top is a real possibility. Piastri and Norris, together, could dethrone the team that dominated F1 these last two years.
