Oscar Piastri asserts McLaren made the “fair decision to swap” at Hungarian GP amidst Lando Norris drama

Oscar Piastri expressed his views on his first race win ever at the Hungarian GP.

Oscar Piastri asserts McLaren made the “fair decision to swap” at Hungarian GP amidst Lando Norris drama

Lando Norris Oscar Piastri (images via IMAGO)

Oscar Piastri wins the 2024 Hungarian GP. The Australian claims his 25 points for the first time ever since joining Formula 1. McLaren from the start performed exceptionally well, Oscar Piastri was the second fastest in qualifying behind teammate Lando Norris. However, the race turned out in favor of the Australian, he praised his teammate post race.

Oscar Piastri mentioned that he have a lot of faith in his teammate Lando Norris. He felt the team made a fair decision of swapping both of them at the end of the race. Piastri explained the teams strategy, the rule was that both drivers could race freely and compete to win, as long as they finished in the top two positions. The 23-year-old was pleased that they both managed to achieve this goal. He also highlighted the strong trust and respect they have for one another, which helped them work together effectively and secure the victory for the team.

I had a lot of trust in Lando, and I think it was a fair decision to swap us back at the end. We were free to race each other and both try to win as long as we finish 1-2 and that's what we did, we have a lot of trust and respect for each other.
Oscar Piastri stated post-race.

Oscar Piastri explained that from his perspective, he performed very well during the first part of the race. He stated that the strategy they used for pitting the cars was designed to ensure they stayed ahead of their competitors. They made pit stops in a specific way to prevent other drivers from getting ahead of them. He mentioned the pit stop strategy was a part of their plan to keep their positions secure and stay competitive throughout the race.

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From my point of view I did all the right things in the first half of the race, and the only reason we pitted the cars in the way we did was to cover off other people.
Oscar Piastri added.
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Lando Norris claims he lost the race because of a bad start

Lando Norris started the race from first position at the grid, however due to bad start he had to lose his position to teammate Oscar Piastri. Losing position to their own driver was much better for Mclaren than any other. However, Norris believed that the poor start was the main reason he ended up finishing in 2nd place instead of winning. He felt that if he had started better, he might have stayed in the lead and secured those twenty-five points.

George Russell and Lando Norris
George Russell and Lando Norris (Via: Imago)
Seven points, I gave away today because of a bad start. That is where I lost the race today.
Lando Norris said.

Further, Norris stated that he doesn’t want to diminish the fact that the team achieved 1-2 place. He noted that this result was significant because it was the first time their team achieved this since Monza. The 26-year-old claimed the positions achieved by Piastri and him were totally skill based and not by external factors. Norris made sure the fans and everyone noticed their success was genuine and the result of their hard work, even though he personally felt disappointed by his performance.

I don't want to take away the fact that it was a 1-2, the first since Monza and on pure merit.
Lando Norris added.

Certainly, Lando Norris was happy for his teammate for winning his first ever Grand Prix. Norris knew the feeling of victory for the first time so he praised his teammate and congratulated him. Fans were extremely happy by the performance of both drivers and hoped to see such more performances in future.

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