Oscar Piastri is moving from strength to strength, as he seems to be delivering a better performance with each passing race. Last weekend during his Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory, he showcased his ability to defend for multiple laps despite facing some intense pressure from Charles Leclerc.
Despite hanging onto the win, Piastri believes there is still one area where he needs to improve. While speaking ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, he said, “Being more consistent in qualifying would help. Plus there are some tracks coming up I’ve only raced once at”.
His struggles on single-lap pace seem evident as he has not once qualified on pole during any qualifying format this season. In stark contrast, his teammate Lando Norris has registered four pole positions this year alone.
Therefore, Piastri has had to work extra hard during the race to finish in the best position he can. A similar scenario played out in Baku last weekend when he qualified second but managed to beat pole-sitter Leclerc by pulling off an audacious move into turn one for the lead.
Thank you team, this one was special pic.twitter.com/cFZHg07DJi
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) September 17, 2024
However, since Piastri has delivered when it has mattered most, he would be buzzing with confidence heading into this weekend’s Singapore GP. During the same presser, he explained how his win in Baku gave him the same.
Piastri confident after his Baku win
The Aussie stated that Baku wasn’t McLaren’s most competitive track. At previous races in Zandvoort and Hungary this season, they were a lot quicker than their rivals. Thus, it was a big achievement for the Woking team to win at a track where Ferrari was at par with their pace.
He said, “It is a nice confidence boost [coming here]. We should be competitive this weekend. The biggest thing I took from last weekend was the execution of the race from myself and the whole team.”
While there is no doubt that Piastri would be confident coming into this weekend’s Singapore GP, he will most likely need to improve upon his qualifying form if he is to win again. Overtaking is often difficult at Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, and this could be the case despite the addition of a fourth DRS zone.
