Due to a sudden heavy rain, the field began the Saturday race by following the safety car in a rolling start.
Drivers mentioned better conditions and switched from full wet tyres to intermediates. However, 10 drivers chose to remain on the track to save time due to a crowded pitlane.
Piastri immediately went to the pits to switch to intermediate tires, whereas Red Bull made a more cautious decision to delay Verstappen’s pit stop for one more lap. However, Verstappen ended up being held in the pit box for a longer duration of 3.2 seconds to prevent any contact with Lando Norris.
Piastri gained a 1.7-second advantage over the safety car after Fernando Alonso’s crash, but his lead was short-lived as Verstappen utilized a slipstream through Eau Rouge to overtake him on the Kemmel Straight.
Piastri admitted that he couldn’t keep up with the RB19 that was pursuing him. The Australian acknowledged, “We gave it our all. We made a pit stop when the safety car left the track. We even managed to lead for a few laps. However, Max was simply too strong for us.”
Piastri believed that the safety car caused by Alonso could have been beneficial for him since it decreased the duration he needed to protect himself from Verstappen, who is the current double champion.
However, he then reached the peak of Eau Rouge and noticed that Verstappen was “essentially right behind me already”.
Piastri expressed, “I believed that the safety car would work in my favor since it would result in fewer laps to defend against him.”
After the Sprint, Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who finished in 1st place, and Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who finished in 2nd place, exchange congratulations in Parc Ferme.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“I glanced out of Turn 1 [La Source] and it seemed like I had a good restart. When I checked the top of Eau Rouge, he was already right there next to me. I couldn’t prevent him from overtaking me on the straight.”
Piastri also heaped praise on the continued resurgence of his McLaren team, which scored podiums in the most recent British and Hungarian GPs thanks to Norris.
The first-time F1 podium finisher said: “Clearly, we have a little bit more work to do. But I’m very happy to get the good points…
Apart from Max, our team performed exceptionally well, showcasing a strong pace. Once again, full credit goes to the entire team.
The past three weekends have been quite exceptional compared to our previous experiences, so I am extremely grateful for the car. However, we still have some work ahead of us in order to reach the highest level.
“It is much more enjoyable to be in that position, and experiencing the thrill of leading for the first time is a memory that will always stay with me.”
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