Oscar Piastri had a lively chat in the Miami GP cooldown room after seeing Charles Leclerc make an exciting overtake.
Oscar Piastri wasn’t too happy after seeing Charles Leclerc pass him during the Miami Grand Prix.
Piastri finished third, behind his teammate Lando Norris and the race winner Kimi Antonelli, after he overtook Leclerc just before the last lap.
It was a busy race for the Australian. Early on, he had to dodge Max Verstappen’s spinning Red Bull at turn one, and later he had a close fight with the four-time F1 champion who was making a comeback.
Piastri also battled Leclerc again later, but the Ferrari driver used his stronger battery power to quickly pass him back. Watching this in the cooldown room with Norris and Antonelli, Piastri shared how he felt.
“You see, watch this,” he said. “I overtake him – nice – and then… yeah, he gets past again. There was nothing I could do.”
Norris, watching the clash between Verstappen and Piastri, added, “I didn’t get what Max was doing. He just messed up his own race.”
Leclerc explained after the race that he let Piastri pass on purpose near the end of the second to last lap. He wanted to charge his battery through the first corners so he could attack on the back straight.
Unfortunately, Leclerc spun out at turn three and hit the barrier with his front left tire.
Although he didn’t have to leave the race, the damage to his left front suspension slowed him down in the last lap. George Russell and then Max Verstappen managed to pass him before the finish.
Talking to Sky Sports Italy, Leclerc said, “There were no problems with the wing. My plan was to let Piastri through, then use overtake mode. I wouldn’t have kept him behind otherwise, because I was strong in sector two and my tires were gone.”
“It was supposed to happen at the last corner, but I handled turns one, two, and three badly. It was a mistake I can’t afford. I’m angry and disappointed with myself.”