Oscar Piastri explains 'quite bizarre' Italian GP battle with Lewis Hamilton

Oscar Piastri has explained that it is "still quite bizarre" how energy management works as part of the new regulations this season, following a battle with Lewis Hamilton at Monza.

Piastri enjoyed one of his strongest weekends of the season at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing in fifth but, for large portions of the race, looking in with a shot at a possible podium.

Unfortunately for the Australian, his rostrum chances were ruined by a back-and-forth battle with Hamilton.

The pair squabbled over fourth before Piastri broke away; however, the seven-time world champion suddenly caught the McLaren driver and overtook him by using a significant amount of battery.

Once ahead, Hamilton continued to use what was left in his battery to get almost one second ahead before it depleted, and he was almost immediately re-overtaken by Piastri.

Energy management was a critical factor in Monza and remains something very unusual for the drivers to experience, as Piastri explained after fighting the Ferrari.

Asked if playing a thinking game with energy management was fun, Piastri told select media, including RacingNews365: "It's difficult. Like, if you use any extra energy, you're going to pay for it somewhere. 

"And I was kind of slowly building a gap on Lewis, and then he spent all his energy getting past me, and then kind of kept using it to try and break free. And he actually got, like, a second ahead, and he lost it all in one straight. So it's still quite bizarre. 

"Did I enjoy it more than I thought? Yes. Was I stuck in a lot of battles that I just wanted to go and have them pull me further into the race? Yes. I was also in that situation, so it is what it is. 

"Probably better than a race where nothing happens, but definitely difficult in the cockpit to know exactly what to do."