Despite a "miserable" race, Piastri is "happy with the work accomplished" for the Constructors' title

Oscar piastri was not as useful as he would have hoped on Sunday in the fight for the Constructors' Championship. The Australian nevertheless started in an ideal position, on the front row alongside Lando Norris, at the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix… but to be hit by Max Verstappen from the first corner. The Dutchman, too bold, tried an attack on the inside before touching the rear wheel of the McLaren and send the two-time Grand Prix winner into a spin.

Starting last, Oscar Piastri had to do everything again to get back into the points zone, even if it meant taking risks... too big risks in fact, since on the 3rd lap, the young Aussie missed his braking on the approach to the chicane and clipped the rear of the Williams Franco Colapinto's. The Argentinian suffered a puncture and retired a few laps later, while Oscar Piastri was penalized 10 seconds during his second pit stop.

Once again relegated to the back of the pack, the McLaren driver relied on the intrinsic pace of his MCL38 to climb back up to 10th place. A small point that did not amount to much, since the British team was crowned mainly thanks to Lando Norris' victory in Abu Dhabi. After the finish and before the Constructors' title celebrations, Oscar Piastri conceded that his performance at Yas Marina was not the most exceptional...

“It was a pretty miserable race for me, conceded the Australian, still happy with the world title secured by his team. I think the most important thing today is that we've won the championship and it's a huge credit to everyone at McLaren for what they've achieved this year and I couldn't be more proud of them. I'm very, very happy with the work they've done throughout the year and, of course, today was a tough day, but it's good to get the deal done."

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Looking back on Max Verstappen's first corner manoeuvre, Oscar Piastri acknowledged that the Dutchman had been too optimistic in his attempt. “He came and apologised straight away and the stewards ruled it was a penalty. Obviously it was a tough race from that point on but we achieved our main objective today, that’s all that matters,” said the 23-year-old pilot from Sky Sports F1.

With this point from 10th place, Oscar Piastri finished his second campaign in Formula 1 in 4th place with 292 points. Next year, with the world champion team, the Australian has greater ambitions… with, why not, the fight for the Drivers' title. "I think we can stand out next season and take on the challenge from the start, says he. I still have some things to work on and improve, but I feel like I've taken a good step forward from my rookie season overall. I'm looking forward to next year, I'm looking forward to taking a little break before I go back and try to fight for both championships."

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