Oscar Piastri looked back on his brilliant performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, stating that he was "proud" of his opening lap overtake on teammate Lando Norris.
After a disappointing Sprint race result which saw him lose the lead of the race to Max Verstappen, Piastri was keen to make amends on Sunday's Grand Prix.
But having lost out to teammate Norris during qualifying, the Australian would have his work cut out to find a way past his fellow McLaren driver around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
In the end, the 24-year-old needed less than a lap to overtake Norris and snatch P1. A combination of factors, including a snap of oversteer out of the La Source hairpin and battery issues for Norris, as well as a big helping of slipstream for Piastri allowed the latter to ease past down the Kemmel straight.
The All Important First Lap
After taking up the mantle at the head of the field, Piastri asserted himself out front, only conceding first place for a single lap after pitting before Norris. The Aussie racer opted for medium tyres, while his teammate chose to put on the longer-lasting hard compound of tyre.
This resulted in a nail-biting finish to the Grand Prix, as Norris closed in on the leader in the closing stages of the race. In the end, Piastri crossed the line just over three seconds ahead of the second-placed McLaren MCL39.
Speaking after the race, Piastri reflected on his race-defining moment on the opening lap.
He said: "I knew Lap 1 would be my best chance of winning the race. I got a good exit out of Turn 1, lifted as little as I dared out of Eau Rouge.
"The rest of the race we managed really well. I struggled at the end. Maybe the mediums were not the best for the last five or six laps. We had it mostly under control.
"I was pretty disappointed with myself yesterday but turns out starting P2 was not as bad as I thought," Piastri exclaimed.
More On His Lap 1 Move
Piastri was initially disappointed about the fact that the race had a rolling start, as this would ordinarily increase the gap to Norris. However, a poor restart by the race leader made it easier for the Australian to snatch that aforementioned title.
He continued: "I was disappointed it was a rolling start because I thought it would take away some opportunity.
"I got a good exit out of Turn 1, was able to stay close and when I was that close, I knew I was going to lift just a bit less than Lando did and keep it on the track.
"A bit lively up over the hill, but managed to make it stick and the tow helped me out. I’m proud of my first lap."
On his decision to stick it out on worn medium tyres against Norris' hards, Piastri stated that it wasn't that difficult of a choice to make.
He added: "I think for me the medium was the safest tyre to be on at that point. You never know if someone’s going to crash and there’s going to be a Safety Car, and then at that point you want a medium and also the medium seemed good in the Sprint yesterday.
"I think it didn’t make too much difference, but when you’re fighting like that 1-2 you’re always going to try and gain an advantage in one way or another, and I think we did the safest thing," concluded the Belgian Grand Prix winner.
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