Piastri’s Hungarian triumph: “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid”

The moment Oscar Piastri has been dreaming of since he was a kid finally became a reality at last night’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with the 23-year-old achieving a “very, very special” maiden Grand Prix victory after a tough mental battle with his teammate. 

The hard-earned triumph dispels Piastri’s personal unease over his title as a race winner, shadowed by an “awkward” Sprint victory in Qatar for the past year that left him sitting on the fence of the victors’ club. 

The uncertainty disappeared as he crossed the line in Hungary, however, a day the boy from Brighton will never forget. 

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Fresh off the top step of the podium, Piastri said it was a “very, very special” view looking down at his team and into the Hungarian crowd with the Australian anthem playing for the first time since 2021. 

“It was an incredible moment,” Piastri said.

“I mean, it’s always special when you get to stand on an F1 podium, but it’s a little bit nicer when you’re at the top of it, so very happy. 

“Yeah, like I said, an incredible moment that I’ve been dreaming of for a very long time. 

“I said my first dream in my career was reaching F1, the second one is winning a race. 

“So yeah, I’m very, very happy and proud and not just of myself, but everybody that’s helped me get to this position. 

“Going back to my family firstly, of course, took a lot of big decisions at a young age to chase the F1 dream. 

“It’s very difficult to become an F1 driver by staying in Australia, so it meant some big decisions early in life. 

“Yeah, just very, very proud that those decisions have paid off and we’ve managed to make it worth it.”

Piastri is now the fifth Australian to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, joining the exclusive club that includes his manager, Mark Webber and current competitor, Daniel Ricciardo.

Usually present at his prodigy’s races, Webber was absent from the Hungarian Grand Prix, spending the day at the Formula E season finale in London instead of the Hungaroring.

“His (Mark Webber’s) influence has been, you know, massive on so many levels,” Piastri said, admitting to being sad that his manager had missed the achievement.

“I think, you know, firstly from… Well, I think it’s important to say from Mark and Dan [Ricciardo], it’s been important on so many levels.

“I think behind the scenes, you know, they’ve done an incredible amount of work for me in my career, whether it was my junior career, getting me into Formula 1, working with McLaren.

“It has been a massive influence for me, you know, I think there’s always little tips and things like that.”

Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and the McLaren team celebrate their 1-2 finish in Hungary. Image: LAT Images.

“Mark obviously had a long and successful career in Formula 1, and, you know, I’ve said a few times his hindsight of his career is my foresight.

“He can keep me out of a few traps and a few holes that maybe he experienced in his career, and so, you know, his influence there is incredibly important.”

When asked about his celebration plans, Piastri was confident it wouldn’t involve any champagne out of a shoe, unlike his other Australian mentor’s iconic form.

“Oh, no, Shoey… The Shoey is Danny Ric’s thing,” Piastri joked. 

“I mean, I’m going to get roped into it because I’m an Aussie, but I don’t know. 

“I’ll try and think of something new, but no, I think that’s gone and done.” 

“Maybe we’ll do one in the plane on the way back… Can probably pay the cleaning fee now.

“But no, I’ll leave that to Danny Ric and that could be his legacy. 

“I’ll create my own.”

The race itself was not as light-hearted as the post-race press conference, with McLaren’s strange strategy calls and Lando Norris’ defiance of team orders nearly costing the #81 his maiden victory once again.

Remaining in the net-lead for the first 50 laps of the race after charging ahead into Turn 1, Piastri’s position at the front was compromised by McLaren’s choice to undercut Piastri with Norris.

“The information I had at the time was Lando was boxing early to cover Lewis (Hamilton) and I was going long to cover Max (Verstappen), essentially, because I knew that he’d stopped later and I think we were just being very safe,” Piastri said.

“Of course, that naturally gave Lando an undercut and maybe made things a little bit more complicated than it needed to be, but yeah, I’m sure that’s something we’ll go through.”

Despite being assured the lead would be handed back to him, the McLaren radio waves were plagued with an angsty Norris as the laps ticked down.

The Brit refused to invert the positions as earlier agreed upon, insisting that it was better for his championship fight if he remained ahead. 

His words weren’t the only thing making his intentions clear, with the #4 McLaren instantly building upon the three-second interval despite calls to manage his tyres. 

Steadily jumping from four seconds to five seconds, to six seconds, Norris continued whilst giving his team’s pleas the silent treatment.

Norris told his race engineer that Piastri had to catch him on merit to have his place back, a statement that was met with a harsh reminder of the importance of teamwork in the championship fight.

The back and forth ended with three laps to go, as a slowing Lando Norris reluctantly let Piastri by on the main straight, however, remaining within DRS range. 

Oscar Piastri celebrates his maiden victory on arrival in Parc Ferme at the Hungarian GP. Image: Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images.

“I don’t think I was really concerned,” Piastri said.

“The only thing I was concerned about a bit was if there was a safety car, then it would have taken the situation out of our hands, would have taken the control out of our hands. 

“So, that was really the only thing I was a bit concerned about, but we’d spoken about it at the timing of the stop that we would sort it back out. 

“And, yeah, I mean, I had full trust in everyone in the team, including Lando, that we would make that happen.”

Piastri is now the 115th driver to stand on the top set of the podium after just 35 outings in Formula 1, spraying champagne alongside Lewis Hamilton who achieved his 200th podium at the same time.

“I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet and I mean I’m not really the kind of person to get overly emotional, so, you know, I don’t think you’re ever really going to see that from me, but no, it’s an incredible feeling,” Piastri said.

“Like I said, it’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid. 

“We’ve had a couple of opportunities through the last few races that we’ve come very close to and yeah, now to make it happen is an incredible feeling. 

“But I’m sure with more time, you know, I think in Qatar last year, you know, that didn’t fully sink in until probably the season ended. 

“And, you know, I think with this, it will probably be a similar kind of feeling. 

The Australian won’t have long to celebrate before jumping back in the car on Friday to commence the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, this time as a race winner, of course. 

The circuit has rewarded Piastri with his fair share of ups and downs, however, with the momentum from Hungary, the 23-year-old has added edge of motivation for the final race before the summer break. 

Action at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps kicks off at 9:30 PM on Friday, July 26.

Image: Steve Etherington / LAT Images

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