Piastri hasn’t “mastered” F1 tyre management, but it’s “night and day” over 2023

Oscar Piastri reckons his capability to handle tyres in Method 1 has undergone a “night-and-day” enchancment over his 2023 rookie season, however feels there’s nonetheless room to develop additional.

Though Piastri impressed in his debut F1 season final 12 months, the principle criticisms of his maiden season concerned his lack of expertise with managing the Pirelli tyres via a race distance – which normally led to a race tempo drop-off versus Lando Norris.

This had improved over the course of 2023, though the Australian’s largest step in race stint administration arguably came visiting the winter and thus the 2 McLaren drivers had been way more evenly matched over 2024.

Norris nonetheless retained a slight higher hand when it got here to general race tempo, main Piastri to recommend that tyre administration was nonetheless but to be mastered after his second season.

“I do not know if ‘mastered it’ is the phrase I’d use. It is a lot improved however not mastered,” Piastri defined to Motorsport.com.

“I feel there’s been two or three races this 12 months the place it is nonetheless been – to not the identical extent as final 12 months, however nonetheless been difficult on that entrance, however I feel it has been a night-and-day enchancment in all places else.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Group

Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photos

“So I really feel like I do know way more proactively what I have to do to handle the tyres now, which you form of must be taught the laborious approach, via expertise, which could possibly be fairly painful. So I really feel like I’ve made actually huge enhancements there.”

Piastri revealed that though follow allowed the drivers to experiment, the stint lengths had been so brief that it was unattainable to realize significant expertise of tyre administration past the races.

He stated that, having taken ‘painful’ classes via 2023 in understanding the bounds of the Pirelli tyre, he was now glad to have taken the hit in his rookie season to put the foundations for the long run.

“It’s extremely tough [to work on] as a result of you may solely do it within the races. I imply, you may try to do it in follow and put the constructing blocks in,” he added.

Learn Additionally:

“However in follow you by no means fairly know if it will work or not, as a result of clearly the runs we do are nowhere close to a race distance.  

“So among the methods you should utilize and among the stuff you wish to apply, you may apply, however they do not all the time provide the clear solutions that you simply’re after. Solely the races can do this.

“So it is just about attempting it within the races, which could be very tough and clearly very painful at occasions, as a result of when you get it flawed, you clearly cannot simply push restart and take a look at once more. That is the race outcome.  

“And yeah, that was a bit irritating at occasions final 12 months, however I really feel like, once more, it has been enchancment to this season, so I am blissful to have gone via these experiences.”