Oscar Piastri excited for McLaren F1 upgrades after 'TIRING' Singapore GP debut

Piastri na P2 in Sprint Shootout op Spa-Francorchamps — Photo: © LAT Images

McLaren

Piastri excited for McLaren upgrades after 'TIRING' Singapore debut

The Australian helped the team claim a brilliant result in Singapore and is looking forward to Japan

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 19 September 2023 04:59 Updated: 12:24

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Oscar Piastri says he feels like he's 'definitely earned' his result at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he managed to bring the car home in seventh.

Alongside his team-mate Lando Norris' second-place finish, McLaren managed a very strong performance under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

It's a result that has helped them close the gap on fourth-place Aston Martin in the constructors' championship, who were unable to score a single point this weekend.

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Norris came so close to his first ever career victory, but his former team-mate Carlos Sainz proved to be just too strong, with a brilliant drive that showed off all of his skills.

Piastri's result was also very impressive, especially given that his McLaren car was not given the same new updates as Norris' car, yet the Australian still managed to round off a good weekend for his team, climbing from a 17th-place start.

After the race, Piastri gave reference to the hot and sticky nature of the race.

“Very happy to get back into the points and with good points as well," he told Sky Sports F1.

"I feel like I've definitely earned it. I’m pretty tired. First Singapore done and dusted.

"Certainly wasn’t the most straightforward of weekends, but to finish P7 at the end of it, I’m very happy. Obviously happy for the team with another podium as well.

"Hopefully we can have a good weekend in Japan and [I'm] looking forward to getting the upgrades too."

Strong showing from McLaren

The team have taken huge strides forward in the recent races and now have a good chance of challenging for a top four finish in the constructors' standings.

It would be a remarkable turnaround if they could claim fourth spot, especially considering the team were only on 17 points after the first eight races of the season.

Piastri's performances have been very impressive for his debut season and he has been touted to be a challenger for world championships down the line.

If McLaren can make as big of a step during the winter as they have done throughout this season, they could be challenging for regular race wins in 2024.

Both McLaren drivers enjoyed themselves at Singapore, taking home a great result for the team

All in all, Piastri is satisfied with his performance overall.

“Track position is so tough around here," he continued.

"Obviously, we’ve got different cars this weekend, so it would’ve been a very good result if I could’ve kept with Lando with that in consideration.

"I think realistically, P6 in front of Gasly is probably the most we could have done. Not disappointed with that.

"We’ll see if there’s anything I could have done a bit better. I feel like at some points of the race, maybe I was lacking a little bit of pace. All in all, very happy."