A Tainted First Win
By Jaida Fadel
Literature Editor
It was lights out and away we went on September 15th, 2024, for the Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix. 51 laps around the Baku City Circuit secured Australian McLaren driver Oscar Piastri his second Grand Prix win. Qualifying second, Piastri quickly overtook Charles Leclerc and maintained the lead for the remainder of the race. With his English teammate Lando Norris coming in fourth, having gained 12 positions, McLaren racked up enough points to jump into the lead of the constructors championship. It is clear that hopes were high, and celebrations were prominent in the Papaya team’s garage that day. However, that wasn’t the case for Piastri’s first win.
Just four rounds prior at the Hungaroring, the Australian crossed the chequered flag right before Norris. One of the first things he said on what should have been the proudest day of his career was, “Sorry.” Now, what is it that made a 1-2 McLaren finish so “painful,” as Oscar qualified it? The answer to that question is none other than poor team decisions. Lando started the race from pole position, with Oscar behind him. However, Piastri’s reaction time and defence was better than Norris’, which led to him taking the lead. He kept it through the first half of the race, but everything came crumbling down when both drivers had to make a second pitstop to change their tyres. The team called Lando in first, which led to Piastri being undercut: the Australian came out behind the Brit. Seeing as Oscar was leading before the strategists ruined his chance at a fair first win, the team asked Lando to give the position back. He refused. For over fifteen laps, he created an immense gap from his teammate, overusing his tyres and going against what his race engineer pleaded, “[…] Tell him to catch up then”, he argued. As the laps progressed, the radio messages became more pointed: “The way to win a championship is not by yourself; it’s with the team. You’re gonna need Oscar, and you’re gonna need the team. […] I know you’ll do the right thing.” On lap 68 of 70, Lando Norris backed down and let Oscar Piastri through. With only two laps left to lead, crossing the finish line first was bittersweet for the Aussie. With emotions still running high, Norris neglected to celebrate his teammate’s win on the podium; Piastri stepped off practically untouched by champagne.
Though thoughts on who deserved to win the race differ, most agree that McLaren’s strategy was at fault. Indeed, since Oscar was leading, the obvious choice should have been to prioritize him in the strategy. However, with Lando being second in the driver’s standings, they should have kept him in the lead to close the gap to Max Verstappen. As the races progress, McLaren has embraced their “Papaya rules” of clean racing. This appears to be working for the team; Oscar and Lando seem to be on good terms and continue to dominate the track.