Oscar Piastri thought he could keep fourth place at Monza, but Lando Norris overtook him on the last lap. The Australian admits he could have managed his energy differently.
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Oscar Piastri came very close to finishing ahead of Lando Norris at the Italian Grand Prix. Long fourth in the final laps, the Australian ultimately had to yield to his teammate, who made a decisive attack in the final lap.
The two McLaren drivers engaged in a particularly intense battle at the end of the race, even nearly causing an incident a few laps earlier. But contrary to fears raised by some images, Piastri believes their confrontation remained within acceptable limits.
He mainly takes away an important lesson regarding the management of the energy of his MCL40.
A penalty complicates Piastri’s race
The weekend had started well for Piastri, third in qualifying behind Pierre Gasly and George Russell.
A three-place penalty for impeding Liam Lawson in Q2, however, dropped him to sixth on the grid, significantly complicating his ambitions.
The Australian nevertheless managed to close in on the front positions during the race and could even consider a podium at times.
But his battle with Lewis Hamilton cost him valuable time mid-race, notably allowing Max Verstappen to stay in the fight.
As the final laps approached, the situation seemed to have stabilized: the two Mercedes occupied the top two spots ahead of Verstappen, while Piastri appeared well placed to finish fourth.
That was before Norris’s comeback.
A very intense duel between the two McLarens
The two teammates found themselves wheel-to-wheel in the final laps.
During Norris’s first attack at turn 4, the Briton ended up partially on the grass after trying to get alongside Piastri.
Norris immediately complained on the radio, believing he had been pushed off the track. After the race, he eventually changed his mind and acknowledged that his teammate’s defense had been fair.
Piastri shares this view and prefers to focus on the spectacle offered by the two McLarens.
“Yes, it was a great battle,” explains the Australian.
“There were many position swaps and attempts from both sides.”
But the situation was ultimately decided by a particularly important element with the current cars: the use of available electrical energy.
Energy management decides the duel
On the last lap, Piastri and Norris chose different approaches regarding their energy deployment.
At Monza, where the long straights offer several overtaking opportunities, deciding precisely where to use the extra electrical power can make all the difference.
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Piastri admits this management becomes particularly delicate when there is only one lap left.
“On the last lap, you never really know what to do with the energy.”
The two McLaren drivers then adopted different strategies.
“I think we chose different strategies at that level and he managed to overtake me.”
Norris perfectly exploited his choice to catch up to his teammate and take the lead approaching the Ascari chicane.
Piastri thought he could regain fourth place
The Australian did not believe the duel was over.
After being overtaken, Piastri still thought he had an opportunity to recover his position before the checkered flag.
“I thought I would have a chance to overtake him again.”
But that opportunity never materialized.
“In the end, I just couldn’t get close enough.”
Norris therefore kept fourth place until the finish, leaving Piastri fifth.
A necessarily frustrating conclusion for the Australian, who seemed to have done the hardest part by keeping his teammate behind him for much of this battle.
“I know what I will do differently next time”
Piastri does not dramatize this defeat against his teammate.
For him, energy management in this kind of situation inevitably involves an element of gamble.
“With these cars, it’s always a bit of a gamble.”
But the Australian also feels he learned something from this battle. If he found himself in the same situation again, his approach would not be the same.
“I clearly know what I will do differently next time.”
Piastri does not specify exactly how he would change his energy use, but his comment suggests he would probably have conserved more electrical power to defend his position in the areas where Norris was most threatening.
McLaren salvages the situation at Monza
This fourth place for Norris ahead of Piastri’s fifth ultimately constitutes a solid result for McLaren after a difficult weekend.
The team arrived in Italy after two consecutive wins, but Monza’s characteristics exposed several weaknesses of the MCL40, notably on the long straights.
McLaren was therefore not able to reproduce its dominance from previous rounds against Mercedes.
The duel between Norris and Piastri nevertheless offered a spectacular finish, with two teammates allowed to fight until the last lap.
This time, Norris had the last word thanks to a better use of his energy in the final lap. Piastri accepts his defeat, but his warning is clear: if he finds himself again in this situation against his teammate, he now knows exactly what he plans to change.
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