Oscar Piastri’s podium at the Formula 1 Japanese GP earned praise after a race considered intelligent and strategic. The Australian started from third on the grid and finished second, showing recovery after a difficult start to the season.
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This result gained even more prominence because the McLaren driver had not even started the first two rounds of the year, in Australia and China, due to problems with the British team’s car. The strong performance at Suzuka marked an important step for the driver and also for the team, which seeks to regain the performance seen in 2025.
F1 TV commentator Alex Brundle highlighted the Australian’s performance after the race. For him, the performance demonstrated intelligence and control throughout the race: “I think Oscar Piastri had a brilliant GP today (Sunday). He started very well, as we saw, but he was also really smart in traffic against some faster cars,” he stated.
Brundle also highlighted the way Piastri managed the resources available during the race. According to him, the driver knew how to understand the characteristics of the circuit and position the car strategically: “He understood the parameters of the circuit, ensuring he had energy in the right place and maintained his composure, as several drivers did during the race.”
Another point highlighted was the way the Australian used the race dynamics to his advantage: “Piastri was the one who stood out the most by allowing cars to overtake him to regain momentum on the main straight and then perform the overtake on the following lap, maintaining the position,” the commentator explained.
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Although McLaren has not yet repeated last season’s dominance, the team showed positive signs at Suzuka. Brundle also stated that the current constructors’ champions cannot be ruled out: “You can never rule out the constructors’ champions at any time,” he said, commenting on a possible reaction from the team.
After three rounds, McLaren occupies third position in the constructors’ championship with 46 points. The team is still trying to reduce the gap to Ferrari, in second place with 90, while Mercedes leads with 135 points.
In the drivers’ standings, Piastri appears in sixth with 21 points. His teammate, Lando Norris, occupies fifth position with 25, keeping McLaren in the hunt for the top positions at the start of the season.
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