Oscar Piastri admits Max Verstappen can’t be ruled out despite ten-place grid penalty

Oscar Piastri claimed that it would be foolish to believe that Max Verstappen was out of contention for the Belgian GP despite the grid penalty.

Oscar Piastri admits Max Verstappen can’t be ruled out despite ten-place grid penalty

Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen will face a 10-place grid penalty for the Belgian GP after he exceeded his quota for ICE components this season. The amount of power unit components used by each driver is limited to four per season. However, the new components brought to Verstappen’s car in the Belgian GP broke the limits causing the penalty. McLaren driver Oscar Piastri believes grid penalties won’t affect Max Verstappen’s performance at the Belgian GP.

Hungarian GP winner Oscar Piastri highlighted that it is positive news for McLaren that Max Verstappen isn’t starting at the front. He reckoned Verstappen’s strong performance from pole position would have made it difficult for others to compete. This is because from the last couple of years Red Bull performed exceptionally well at Spa and that has become a threat to other teams. Therefore, Piastri claims it will be foolish if they count Max Verstappen out as he can still compete strongly from the back. Red Bull has a good chance to perform well and challenge for victory as they were quick on Friday.

I mean, it's better than if he was starting at the front, so I mean, I don't think you can count him out. It's a track they've been very quick at the last couple of years, and they look quick this weekend again.
Oscar Piastri said, as reported by RacingNews365
YouTube video

Further, the 23-year-old expects that the Dutchman can move up from wherever he starts, even if he’s not in the front. He believes that a slightly better starting position will give Verstappen an advantage. Even if the Dutchman qualifies in 11th place, he can use this position to advance more easily and improve his chances of catching up with the leaders. Piastri reckoned starting from any position poses a threat to McLaren, as the 26-year-old seems fast this weekend.

FS Video
I'm expecting max to make progress through the field, but having a little bit of a head start, hopefully will definitely help.
Oscar Piastri added.
RELATED
Charles Leclerc emphasizes ‘finding a compromise’ on the SF-24 after ‘difficult’ Friday running
Charles Leclerc

Oscar Piastri claims McLaren was quick in FP1 and strong in FP2

Oscar Piastri highlighted their performance from practice sessions where they managed to secure 1-2 positions. He mentioned their car was reasonably quick in the first practice session, but it got even stronger in the second. The Aussie driver felt positive about their progress, noting that the day went smoothly for them. They had tested everything they planned to and learned as much as they could about their car’s performance.

I think in FP1, we looked we looked reasonably quick, and FP2, we got stronger. So I feel like we're in a good place, it feels like it's been a very smooth day, and we've gone through everything we wanted to and learned as much as we could.
Oscar Piastri explained.
Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri (via IMAGO)

Further, Piastri mentioned that the positive performance from Friday would be useless if the weather on Saturday will be challenging. Despite this he expressed his practice sessions were strong and he believes the Qualifying would also go smoothly. McLaren from the last few races seems quite strong so it will be difficult for teams to match their performance.

The feeling is good, but the weather is probably going to mean that it is useless [on Saturday], but it's been a really, really strong first day.
Oscar Piastri added.

Certainly, Oscar Piastri mentioned that they’re looking strong but uncertainty in weather might affect their performance during the Qualifying. The 23-year-old is confident in performing well during the Qualifying as they’re fast and quicker than the rest of the teams. Fans expect another win from McLaren or 1-2 position which would ultimately help them to compete for the constructors championship.

In case you missed it: