Piastri delivers McLaren 'momentum' boost

Oscar Piastri believes he is gaining "momentum" and has overcome areas he struggled with last season, highlighting his improvement in F1. 

The McLaren driver sits fourth in the drivers' championship and became a race winner in Hungary, where he overtook Lando Norris into the first corner in a pivotal move. 

Piastri has been able to match Norris for most of the season, with the exception of an early year blip where he endured some difficulties. 

Since overcoming the difficulties he faced in particular in the Spanish Grand Prix, Piastri has been a podium contender in every race. 

Not everything has gone his way this season – he had a strong Q3 lap in Austria deleted for track limits – but he has learnt to clean up his driving and avoid making errors in recent rounds.

"I think definitely the last few races have been very strong from my side," Piastri told media including RacingNews365. "I think the whole season's been pretty good. 

"A couple of weekends in the middle of the year were a bit tricky. Japan and China mainly were pretty tough and obviously Barcelona, but I feel like all the other races have been quite strong. 

"Just we've had a lot of things that haven't been going our way in some ways. Whether it's interesting track limit penalties or crashes or mistakes, there's always been just things and I feel like the last few races I have been able to tidy it up."

Piastri recognises progress

In his rookie season, qualifying performance was not a concern for the Australian driver. Piastri was immediately quick in F1, however, he often faded during races. 

This was down to his tyre management, as Piastri often used the best of his tyres before his opponents. 

Tyre preservation is an area which has clearly been addressed, as proven in the Belgian Grand Prix where his pace improved in the latter stages whilst managing his tyre wear. 

He recognises himself that he has taken a step forward, with Piastri noting that the Belgian GP would have been difficult for him 12 months ago.

"I feel like I've taken a step forward from last year, definitely. And, I think in these tricky kind of races like Belgium, last year I was struggling in a race like this. 

"So I feel like I've made good progress and obviously the car is very quick as well. I feel like I'm gaining some nice momentum, which is good, but I know how quickly it can turn around and go the other way as well. 

"I just keep trying to build on it, but I feel like I'm in a strong place."