Oscar Piastri Criticizes Lance Stroll’s Driving After Close Second at Italian Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri criticizes Lance Stroll for ‘behaving as if it was his debut in go-karting’

Oscar Piastri expressed frustration towards Lance Stroll for hindering his chase of Charles Leclerc.

Oscar Piastri criticized Lance Stroll for his driving manner, likening it to someone in their debut karting race, following an incident with blue flags at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

The driver from McLaren, employing a strategy involving two pit stops, was swiftly closing in on Charles Leclerc, who had taken a bold risk with a single pit stop, during the final moments of contention for victory at Sunday's Grand Prix held in Monza.

Piastri ultimately secured the second position, finishing merely 2.6 seconds behind Leclerc at the finish line, after losing significant time passing Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and navigating through slower cars, such as Aston Martin's Stroll.

"Right off the bat, I inquired about the speed required to catch up with Charles," Piastri shared with reporters, including those from Crash.net, during the post-race press briefing.

The speed I maintained at the start was essentially my plan for the initial laps. At that juncture, I felt quite hopeful. I ended up losing a significant chunk of time due to being Carlos.

"Stroll appeared to be navigating the track as if it were his inaugural go-karting event. It's unclear what he was thinking when he encountered his blue flag, but that moment resulted in a one-second delay."

“To secure victory in the race, everything needed to go flawlessly during that crucial phase, but minor issues slightly diminished our opportunities. While it was always going to be a challenge, we were indeed close to making it happen.”

"I was giving it my all and there was no way I could've sped up more. Yeah, just fell slightly short."

In response to a question about his contemplation of adopting a one-stop strategy, Piastri stated, "Obviously, I didn't give it the serious thought it required. In my view, it presented a significant risk."

The issue of tyre graining has dominated discussions throughout the weekend. During practice sessions, experiencing tyre graining essentially meant there was no recovering. This was especially true in the initial phase using medium tyres, where managing was notably challenging.

"During our second pit stop, I noticed my front left tire had significant graining. My pace was dropping as a result. Opting for another pit stop appeared to be the logical move at that moment. It seems that no one anticipated the graining on Charles's tires to improve."

"Looking back, it's evident that making a single stop was the correct decision. However, at the start of the race, based on all the data we had collected over the weekend, it appeared to be a considerable gamble."

"Being in the lead, or simply at the forefront, carries its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The competitors trailing can adjust their strategies based on your actions. For Charles, opting for a two-stop strategy would have secured him a third-place finish, and even if he chose a one-stop strategy but his performance deteriorated, he would likely have still ended up in third position."

"Clearly, he managed to execute the one-stop strategy perfectly, making the Ferrari appear as the star of the day. It's painful right now, but at that time, it seemed like the appropriate decision."

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