Sun Sep 15 16:11:09 UTC 2024: ## Piastri Ignored Engineer’s Advice, Took “Now or Never” Risk to Win Azerbaijan GP

Australian driver Oscar Piastri pulled off a daring move to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, ignoring his race engineer’s advice to take it easy on his tires and making a risky overtake on Charles Leclerc. Piastri’s gut feeling paid off, but he admits he was “a bit sorry” for his engineer, Tom Stallard.

The decisive pass happened on lap 20, right after the pit stop sequence, with both drivers on fresh hard tires. Piastri acknowledged the move was “high risk, high commitment,” but felt he had to capitalize on the opportunity. He believed Leclerc’s tire degradation would be slower, so staying back was unlikely to yield a chance to take the lead.

“I saw half an opportunity after the pitstop and knew I had to try and take it,” Piastri said. “At that point I felt like trying to stay back and wait for Charles to [suffer tire] degradation was never going to happen. I thought we were just going to secure us P2. If I didn’t take that opportunity then I was never going to have another one.”

Piastri then faced the challenge of defending his lead against a relentless Leclerc for the next 30 laps. He described the experience as “incredibly tough,” and credited clean air and a few lucky mistakes by Leclerc for his victory.

The win marks another impressive performance for the young Australian, showcasing his bravery and talent in a race that demanded both skill and strategy.

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