McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has hailed his victory at 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as “the best win” of his career.
Piastri ran second in the opening stint behind pole-sitter, Charles Leclerc on the medium tyre, until they pitted for hard tyres on Laps 16 and 17 respectively.
The 23 year-old Australian however had to patiently clear Williams’ Alex Albon on Lap 18, but soon caught and passed Leclerc with a race-winning overtake two laps later then defended robustly to the checkered flag for his second GP win in F1.
Reflecting on how much it meant to get his second win of the season, Piastri considered his victory as his best win in his entire career after he lacked pace in the opening stint.
“This is the best win of my career. I’m proud of what we did today. I tried at the start of the race to get in front, but once I dropped out of DRS, I just didn’t have the pace.
“After the stop, I saw we were pretty close again, and I felt like we had a little bit of extra grip. I had to go for it because I knew that if I didn’t get past at the start of the stint, I was never going to get past. So, I went for a pretty big lunge, but managed to pull it up, and then hung on for dear life for the next 35 laps.
“It was hard work, but I think that definitely goes down as one of my better races.”
On what it meant to get the win which put McLaren into the lead of the Constructors’ standings, Piastri praised his whole team for their progress since he arrived last season.
“We’re now leading the World Championship. It’s a massive team effort and everyone at McLaren deserves full credit for the turnaround that’s happened in my 18 months here.
“The car has improved, but I think they’ve helped me improve as well: 12 months ago, I definitely wasn’t capable of achieving results like this. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella praised Piastri for his performance and race-winning overtake on Leclerc.
“Oscar’s performance throughout the race was exceptional, and to take the lead in the way that he did is proof of what a special driver he is.”
Stella added that taking the lead in the Constructors’ standings marked “an important milestone” for the team, but iterated that their focus has to be on the remaining rounds and consolidating their performance.
“However, the team remain clearly focused on the task ahead, and we use this positive moment to redouble our efforts for the coming races.
“The progress we’ve made since the start of 2023, when we were at the back of the grid, is down to the hard work and dedication from our entire team, as well as the support from our shareholders and partners.”
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