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

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

Though Piastri impressed in his debut F1 season final 12 months, the primary criticisms of his maiden season concerned his lack of expertise with managing the Pirelli tyres by way of 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 rather more evenly matched over 2024.

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

“I do not know if ‘mastered it’ is the phrase I might 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 all over the place else.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Crew

Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs

“So I really feel like I do know rather more proactively what I must do to handle the tyres now, which you form of must study the laborious manner, by way of expertise, which could possibly be fairly painful. So I really feel like I’ve made actually massive enhancements there.”

Piastri revealed that though apply allowed the drivers to experiment, the stint lengths had been so brief that it was not possible to realize significant expertise of tyre administration past the races.

He stated that, having taken ‘painful’ classes by way of 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 totally troublesome [to work on] as a result of you’ll be able to solely do it within the races. I imply, you’ll be able to try to do it in apply and put the constructing blocks in,” he added.

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

“So among the strategies you should utilize and among the stuff you need to apply, you’ll be able to apply, however they do not at all times provide the clear solutions that you just’re after. Solely the races can try this.

“So it is just about attempting it within the races, which could be very troublesome and clearly very painful at instances, as a result of when you get it fallacious, 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 instances final 12 months, however I really feel like, once more, it has been a very good enchancment to this season, so I am completely satisfied to have gone by way of these experiences.”