Oscar Piastri is not convinced that McLaren can repeat their podium pace from Silverstone at the 2023 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Woking team stunned the entire paddock by qualifying second and third and then finished second and fourth at Silverstone. Piastri could have joined Lando Norris on the podium had the safety car not come out when it did.
The new upgrades that helped bring on McLaren’s sudden upturn in speed haven’t totally changed the car in Piastri’s eyes but being able to repeat their podium success might be tough.
“The car is a fair bit quicker than what we had at the start of the year,” Piastri said ahead of the Hungarian GP. “But it still has the same strengths and weaknesses.
“We’ve started to address them but they still need more work. It doesn’t feel that different to drive, it’s not like a complete animal now.
“Silverstone with all the high-speed corners suited us quite nicely; here is a much lower-speed circuit but we’re optimistic that we can stay near the front. Whether we can challenge for a podium, I’m not quite sure.”
Satisfied, but disappointed
Piastri was left deflated after the British GP after Lewis Hamilton took advantage of the safety car to jump ahead of him on track and claim the final spot on the rostrum. His eyes are now firmly on this weekend and the remainder of the year where they will hope to pull away from the midfield fight.
“Mostly satisfaction,” Piastri added. “Compared to where we had been at points this season, to be disappointed with fourth place seems a little bit harsh.
“Without that safety car, it’s always a question of what might’ve been. I was just super happy to be back towards the front. It was very refreshing and a nice reward for our hard work.
“But now we’ve got to maintain that and try and fight towards the front again.”
