Andrea Stella Backs Oscar Piastri for Quick Rebound After "Unforgiving" Brazil F1 Sprint Crash

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expects Oscar Piastri to quickly recover from his crash in the Brazil F1 sprint race, which cost him eight crucial championship points while teammate Lando Norris secured a win. Despite the setback, Stella emphasized Piastri's strong pace this weekend, signaling a positive return to form after recent challenging races.

Why it matters:

Oscar Piastri's crash in the Brazil sprint race highlights the fine margins in Formula 1, especially in tricky conditions. While unfortunate, McLaren's quick assessment and confidence in Piastri's ability to rebound are crucial for maintaining momentum in a competitive season. His return to strong pace after two difficult weekends in Austin and Mexico is a significant positive, indicating potential for strong performances in upcoming sessions.

The details:

• Incident: On lap 6 of the damp 24-lap sprint, Piastri lost control of his McLaren on wet kerbs at Turn 3, spinning into the barriers and ending his race. This incident cost him a third-place finish and six championship points.
• Teammate's Success: Lando Norris capitalized on the conditions, winning the sprint race and extending his championship lead over Piastri from one to nine points.
• Similar Incidents: Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto experienced nearly identical spins at the same spot, with Colapinto's heavy impact bringing out a red flag for barrier repairs, underscoring the treacherous conditions.
• Team's Response: Andrea Stella acknowledged the incident as an "unforgiving" moment due to the wet kerbs, but immediately focused on Piastri's promising speed earlier in the weekend.
  • "Conditions are tricky, you put the wheel on a kerb and that's completely unforgiving, there's no way to control the car," Stella told F1 TV. "It happened to three drivers in the same lap, in the same point. So, it's just unfortunate."
• Focus on Pace: Stella highlighted Piastri's pace as the most reassuring factor, indicating that despite the crash, the underlying performance is there.

What's next:

McLaren is confident Piastri will quickly put the incident behind him and refocus for the crucial qualifying session and the main race. The team is working to repair his car swiftly, and Piastri himself is looking forward to maximizing his starting position for Sunday's Grand Prix, where more points are on offer.

• "He will reset very quickly," Stella assured, emphasizing the racer's mindset. "As soon as he's back with the engineers, he's thinking about what we can do for qualifying, what did we learn from the fuel-ups in the sprint."
• Piastri commented to Sky, "Just trying to put this behind, I guess. Obviously, there's a lot more points on offer tomorrow, so the better job I can do this afternoon of trying to give myself a good starting spot, the better we'll be."
• The team's immediate goal is to capitalize on Piastri's proven speed in the upcoming sessions, aiming for a strong performance to recover lost ground.