Oscar Piastri Blames McLaren’s Charles Leclerc Strategy for Hungarian GP Loss

Oscar Piastri was left seething after losing the Hungarian GP win to Lando Norris due to McLaren’s poor strategy to undercut Charles Leclerc.

Oscar Piastri Blames McLaren’s Charles Leclerc Strategy for Hungarian GP Loss

Oscar Piastri (via Reuters), Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

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Oscar Piastri put forth a decent performance at the Hungarian GP after finishing in P2, right behind Lando Norris. Piastri’s pace looked strong from the beginning of the weekend, but he couldn’t quite trump his British counterpart. The 24-year-old could have contended for the race win against Norris if it weren’t for a missed strategic call from McLaren. The Aussie couldn’t quite recover from the pit-stop meant to undercut Charles Leclerc, as Norris’ one-stop strategy helped him triumph.

Oscar Piastri now fires some shots at McLaren and their poor pit-stop strategy, which caused him to lose the Hungarian GP to Lando Norris. Piastri also committed multiple mistakes in the final laps, as Norris’ flawless execution helped him hold his lead. Regardless, the two drivers were separated by a gap of just 0.698 seconds, and the Aussie couldn’t quite bridge the gap in the last laps.

Speaking on Lando Norris’ one-stop strategy, Oscar Piastri pointed out that the former did not have much to lose and was able to take the gamble on his strategy. Unluckily for Piastri, his front-row start to the race meant that he had to pit for a second time and lose crucial lap time. Moreover, the 24-year-old reckoned that the strategy to undercut Charles Leclerc wasn’t the right call as it caused him to lose the fight for the victory in the end.

He didn’t have much to lose so it wasn’t a huge surprise, I don’t know if trying to undercut Leclerc was the right call in the end.

Oscar Piastri said in a post-race interview.

Piastri asserted that he pushed as hard as he could against Lando Norris to bring home the race win. Norris’ one-stop strategy meant that the Aussie had to make all the difference on the track, which he unfortunately couldn’t. The 24-year-old pinpointed that overtaking on track was easier said than done, as he received the short end of the stick and couldn’t quite trump his teammate.

Yeah, I pushed as hard as I could. When I saw Lando going for a one, I knew I’d have to overtake on track, which is easier said than done around here. Today, we were just on the wrong side of it.

Oscar Piastri added.

Oscar Piastri reveals that McLaren to ‘analyze some things’ about the Hungarian GP

McLaren did not take the pit-stop gamble with Oscar Piastri, as he could’ve lost it all if there was a blunder in strategy. The team couldn’t have predicted the future as Lando Norris reaped the rewards of a tough decision.

Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)
Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)

Piastri recalled that Woking discussed a two-stop strategy to be the best one, which it clearly wasn’t. As such, the 24-year-old asserted that the team needed to look back on the entire race and analyze some things.

Oscar Piastri reckoned that if he were in clean air throughout the race, a two-stopper could have worked out better. The Australian accepted that it was now easier to predict that a single stop strategy was better since Lando Norris won the race.

Ultimately, McLaren needed to analyze the situation of both drivers in the race and bounce back stronger. Piastri kept a positive attitude and concluded that it was overall a good day for Woking as a whole.

Going into the race, we thought a two-stop was the best thing to do and in clean air it potentially still was. It is easy now to say a one-stop was the way to go, as one second different and the answer would be very different. Some things to analyse with the team, but overall a good day.

Oscar Piastri noted.

McLaren has further increased their lead in the constructors’ championship as they lead the pack with a gap of 299 points to the trailing team in Ferrari. Oscar Piastri’s championship lead has been cut down to nine points, as Lando Norris will give it his all in the remaining ten races to maximize his chances of winning the championship. Now, time will tell about how the latter half of the 2025 season pans out for Woking after a long summer break.

Read More: “It Doesn’t Matter,” Frustrated Max Verstappen Gives up on Hungarian GP After Dismal Qualifying