Oscar Piastri had one of his best weekends of the season at the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1, but finished the race in fifth place after missing an opportunity to fight for the podium. The McLaren driver explained why the duel with Lewis Hamilton was somewhat unusual.
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Energy management played a decisive role in the battle between the two, who even exchanged positions for fourth place. Hamilton used a large amount of battery to overtake Piastri, and after opening almost a second gap, lost all the advantage on a single straight, allowing the Australian to regain the position.
Piastri explained that any additional energy use needs to be compensated at another point in the race: “It’s difficult. If you use any extra energy, you will pay for it somewhere,” said the Australian.
According to Piastri, he was gradually increasing the gap over Hamilton when the Ferrari driver decided to use his energy to make the overtake: “He spent all the energy to pass me and kept using it to try to escape. In fact, he got a second ahead and lost everything on a straight. So, it’s still quite bizarre,” he said.
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The McLaren driver also acknowledged that the race had more action than he expected, despite the difficulty of managing battles while trying to advance: “It’s probably better than a race where nothing happens, but it’s definitely difficult, inside the cockpit, to know exactly what to do,” Piastri concluded.
The experience in Monza reinforced for the Australian how the new rules have made energy management a particularly complex element during battles. Even having enjoyed the race more than he imagined, Piastri made it clear that finding the right moment to use the battery remains one of the toughest challenges behind the wheel this season.
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