Oscar Piastri claimed his first Formula 1 podium after finishing third in the Japanese Grand Prix, but felt he could have driven better. The Australian said it was not his 'best race ever' despite starting from second on the grid, but managed to make his strategy work during a high tyre degradation race. "It feels pretty special, definitely something I'll remember for a very, very long time," said Piastri. "There's not many people in the world who get this opportunity in their whole life and I've managed to have it in my first season, so thank you very much to the team. "Wasn't my best race ever, but it was enough to get a trophy at the end so super happy."
Piastri reflects on 'close' Russell move
The high degradation levels prompted many teams to stop more than once. Ferrari put its drivers on an alternate strategy while George Russell did a one-stop, which left McLaren having to utilise the undercut to stay in the top three. Piastri pulled off a late move on Russell in the closing stages to seal his first podium at Suzuka. "The move on George [Russell] I knew I had to try and get past, otherwise I was going to get stuck for a while," he explained. "That one was a bit close, our pace after that was very strong and I think in the second half of the race, I got more into a groove and the pace is a bit better. "I'm very, very happy and excited to try and get some more."
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