McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has hailed his maiden Grand Prix win at 2024 Hungarian GP as a “very special” achievement.
Piastri seized the lead from teammate, Lando Norris into the opening corner on the inside, and proceeded to dominate the opening two phases until Norris undercut him at his second stop.
Norris however conceded the lead on Lap 68 following intense team orders to hand Piastri his maiden Grand Prix victory, with the Aussie having previously taken his first F1 win in the Qatar Sprint last season.
Speaking post-race, Piastri was chuffed to finally have his first Grand Prix win under his belt, which in-turn saw him become the first modern F3 driver to win a Grand Prix in F1 just under four years after he clinched the F3 title.
“A very, very special day. This is the day I dreamed of as a kid, and to be standing on the top step of an F1 podium, with McLaren, is just incredible.”
Piastri proceeded to lightly address the late race drama which saw him struggle to catch Norris, until the Brit respectfully conceded the position on Lap 68.
“While it may have been a little complicated at the end, I think we got ourselves into a good position at the start and then we were in control from there.
The 23 year-old paid tribute to the team for giving him a chance in F1 and providing him with the car to fight for victory, as he concluded: “I want to thank the entire team for an amazing effort and for giving us such a brilliant car.
“It’s a hell of a lot of fun racing with McLaren, so I can’t thank the team enough for giving me the opportunity to be in F1. To now be winning together 18 months in is an unbelievable feeling.”
Despite missing out on the opportunity to cut his deficit to title rival, Max Verstappen – who finished fifth, Norris was “happy” that McLaren are now “achieving wins on merit,” with their second win of this season.
Norris nevertheless was pleased to see Piastri get the win as he commented: “Oscar had a great start and controlled the race from there, so well done to him – it was only a matter of time before he finished first.”
McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella explained that the late driver swap was purely down to the need “… to make the safest call in terms of tyre life and to protect our P1 and P2 finish in case of problems in the pit stops.”
Stella also addressed the decision behind Norris conceding the win on Lap 68, as he iterated that the Brit’s selfless move “embodies the values embodies the values of what it means to be part of…” McLaren and their “one team” culture.
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