Piastri on the mend for difficult Zandvoort F1 return

Oscar Piastri says that his broken rib is no longer an issue ahead of tonight’s Formula 1 resumption following the summer break, stating that a seat fitting issue was the cause of the fracture.

The Aussie charger says that he gutsed it out over three races with the rib break likely occurring between Barcelona and Austria, with a pressure point having developed from his seat which became apparent from Silverstone onwards.

In his pre-weekend interview, the McLaren driver talked about his rib fracture, his status in the point score against Red Bull and his own teammate, and the tough windy conditions that are becoming apparent for Zandvoort this weekend.

“The scan was the day after Silverstone but it was definitely broken before Silverstone,” Piastri said.

“Definitely it was at some point around Austria. I think it was probably a bit disturbed in Barcelona and then Austria afterwards. It was pretty painful and so it was pretty nasty for a few days. But we made some changes (to the seat) and it was already getting better, even with driving. So it’s all good.”

Despite the discomfort he would have experienced under the downforce, Piastri scored two second place finishes in Austria and Belgium, and of course, his maiden F1 win in Hungry, leaving him fourth in the title race, 10 points behind Charles Leclerc, and 32 points off Lando Norris.

And although he’s 110 points of Max Verstappen – and he says he’s not “naive” – the mathematics haven’t ruled him out of pushing closer to the top-end of the spectrum.

“The first argument is to win the constructors’ championship, and I think naturally we’re closing that gap.

“I’m not that far behind Lando in the standings either. So of course if the call comes later in the year and it’s a realistic shot, then I’ll do my part for the team. 

“But I think at the moment the gap is pretty big for both of us. So we’ll focus on trying to do the best job we can every week and see where we end up a bit later in the season. “

“…mathematically it’s still not impossible for me to win the drivers of course. I’m not naive, I know it’s going to be a mammoth task, but I think for me the biggest thing is just trying to maximise every weekend. 

“That gives the team the most opportunities for the constructors’, and gives me the most opportunities for whatever occurs in the drivers’ standings. 

“Whether I finish second, third or fourth in the drivers’, it’s a nice thing to do, but if it’s not winning then I don’t think the 19 others are really that concerned.”

Huge wind gusts are reported for Zandvoort, and although the track is dug into the sand dunes, drivers can expect winds up to 80 km/h on the Friday, whilst it will likely calm down for Saturday and Sunday.

“It will be Incredibly tough. The amount of downforce you gain or more importantly lose, depending on the direction of the wind, will probably be like driving an F2 car tomorrow. 

“So it’s a massive change and also very difficult for us because of course we can’t feel the wind that well. You can feel it pretty well when it’s sideways, but when it’s a headwind or a tailwind, it’s not always that easy to tell. 

“If you get a gust at the wrong moment, it’s completely out of your control in some ways. So I think it’ll be a pretty interesting day, and an interesting weekend, with the wind and the rain.”

Round 15 kicks off at 8:30pm (AEST) this evening with the first of three Practice sessions before Qualifying at 11:00pm on Saturday August 24, and the Grand Prix at 11:00pm on the 25th.

AUTO ACTION’s latest issue has the most recent edition of Piastri’s personal  F1 report, sharing his thoughts on claiming his first F1 win.

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