Piastri: 'Crazy' Dutch GP another 'learning experience'

Oscar Piastri says Sunday's action-packed Dutch Grand Prix was another learning experience for the McLaren rookie, one that he was happy to finish "in one piece".

The mixed conditions that prevailed all afternoon at Zandvoort tested the full array of both the teams and the drivers' skills, which led to the wet-to-dry-to-wet event's fair share of chaotic moments.

However, despite the commotion and challenges thrown at the field, Piastri was able to navigate the race's troubled waters and cruise his way to a P9 at the checkered, two spots behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, all the while boosting his ever growing experience.

"Yes, it was chaotic, definitely," acknowledged Piastri. "To have two cars in the points, and in one piece, is a decent afternoon.

“I think there were maybe a few opportunities that we could have done a bit more with, also a couple of mistakes from my side that certainly didn’t help our cause.

"But a lot to learn from. For me, we’ve had a lot of crazy races, so it’s been a bit of a baptism of fire in my rookie season, but all part of the learning experience."

• Read also: F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2023 Dutch GP

For his first visit with F1 to Zandvoort's meandering circuit set in the soggy dunes of the North Sea, Piastri had a lot to deal with.

And his weekend wasn't made easier by his crash on Friday in FP2 that deprived him of dry running, a shortfall that came into play in Sunday's race. But it was all about trial and error, and learning.

"I didn’t help myself either with the crash in FP2," he conceded. "Every day this weekend has been a massive learning point.

"Of course, ideally, I wouldn’t put it (the car) in the wall to have to learn how much that would damage the rest of the weekend, but I certainly know how much it does now.

"So a few things that I definitely wish I could have had again, but overall, to get a couple of points on such a crazy afternoon is not too bad."

Piastri believes that his expanding experience coupled with McLaren's own progress have put him in a much more "comfortable" place. But it's still a learning curve as far as the 22-year-old is concerned.

"The first part of the season, there were so many things I had to learn in terms of racing, in terms of still gelling with the car," he explained.

"I feel now I’m in a much more comfortable place with the car than I was at the start of the year.

"Just a couple of mistakes here and there, and certainly in races like this, the only way to learn from them and know what to do is by experiencing them.

"I feel it’s definitely been a learning curve in some areas, but I think the confidence, and my confidence in my ability, the car, and the team is still very high."

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