Formula 1, Silverstone: Safety car robbed Piastri’s podium?

A podium within the rookie season? Lance Stroll final managed to do this in Method 1 in 2017 and Kevin Magnussen in 2014. Oscar Piastri virtually managed precisely this feat at his McLaren group’s dwelling race in Silverstone. The Australian had been on track for third place for a very long time. Then, of all folks, Magnussen’s automotive flared up and the race management referred to as the security automotive onto the monitor. Piastri had already modified his tyres, a few of his rivals hadn’t. And now everyone seems to be questioning: would the Australian have been on the rostrum with out the security automotive?

Piastri began the British Grand Prix from third place. Along with Lando Norris, each McLaren drivers bought off to an excellent begin, however solely Norris was in a position to overtake Max Verstappen. Half a lap later, Piastri swerved in entrance of Copse, the two-time world champion held his breath: “Please, please do not understeer,” Verstappen thought at that second, as he later stated within the cooldown room. However Verstappen gave area and Piastri additionally pulled again.

Verstappen handed Norris a number of laps later and Piastri started to groove behind his teammate. On lap 29, the Australian was 3.2 seconds behind Norris and headed into the McLaren pits on the finish of the lap to change from the medium tires to the laborious tire compound. The pit stops of Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Norris and Verstappen, who had been forward of Piastri on lap 32, had been nonetheless pending and the Australian was third after adjustment.

Hamilton’s lead was simply sufficient

However then Magnussen’s Ferrari engine caught fireplace, a (digital) security automotive section adopted and the pit cease delta, which was really 19 seconds lengthy, was solely 9 seconds. Hamilton, nonetheless, was 10 seconds forward of Piastri. The Australian noticed the native hero pull out of the pits below his nostril and third place was misplaced. With out the neutralization, Piastri would most likely have ended up forward of Hamilton. As an alternative, Piastri was “solely” fourth.

Additionally bitter: A security automotive per se wouldn’t have meant the top of the rostrum desires. On contemporary tires Piastri was a second sooner than Hamilton per lap. A security automotive two laps later and Hamilton ought to have lined up behind Piastri. However then Piastri would have needed to prevail on older laborious tires in opposition to Hamilton on contemporary gentle tyres. The skilled team-mate solely managed to do this with laborious work on contemporary, laborious tyres.