Add Category
Oscar Piastri has claimed his first win over teammate Lando Norris, surviving 49 laps on one set of tyres at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
- Oscar Piastri showed plenty of poise to finish 15th
- Piastri made two late overtakes on old tyres
- Former world champion Nico Rosberg praised the rookie for his impressive weekend
The Australian Formula 1 racer's 15th-place finish may not be impressive at face value, but Piastri showed plenty of poise in a race that never favoured him.
After starting eighth, Piastri had a minor touch with the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, which damaged his front wing and required a pit stop on lap 1.
Piastri, who had a set of hard tyres put on his car during the pit stop, completed the rest of the race on that set while others were given fresher tyres later on.
This included Piastri's teammate Lando Norris, who went onto the faster, but less durable, medium tyre for the final 30 laps of the race.
While Norris, who also suffered front wing damage early which sent him to the back of the field, was able to pass his teammate with fresher tyres, he was unable to pull away.
Piastri nursed his tyres well and kept a manageable gap with his teammate.
The Australian then showed plenty of class in the final few laps, overtaking Norris and then the Williams of Logan Sergeant.
"To do 49 laps on that set of tyres was good," he told Sky Sports F1.
"After the first lap, it was always going to be tough, so the last couple of laps were a bit of entertainment, which is nice.
"I'm glad we finished the race, first and foremost, because on lap 1 I didn't think that was going to happen.
"[It's] nice to get a bit of experience and some race craft there at the end. It's what I'm out there for, to learn at the moment."
Piastri had a horror debut in Bahrain, retiring with car failure after 15 laps.
His bounceback in Saudi Arabia drew praise from former world champion Nico Rosberg, who said during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast that matching pace with Norris was not easy for a driver in his second race.
"I have been very impressed this weekend with Oscar," Rosberg said.
"It's the ultimate challenge for a rookie to come in and be up against Lando, especially when the car is so difficult and bad to drive.
"A really solid weekend."
Piastri's quest for his first F1 championship points is now focused on his hometown, Melbourne, with round 3 to be held at Albert Park on April 2.