Piastri F1 Column: A SHORT BREAK and READY TO go again …

It was an amazing moment to secure my first GP win, in Budapest, and I’m sure that July 21 2024 will be a day that I remember for a long time.

I won the Qatar Sprint race last year, which was also special, but it felt different to win on Sunday and hear the Australian national anthem.

As a kid, you dream of racing in Formula 1, representing your country on the biggest stage and taking the chequered flag and so it was nice to tick that experience off for the first time.

It was an awesome feeling to pull the car into parc fermé behind the winner’s board and feel the energy from the crowd and all the team. Hearing the chants and songs from the grandstands was epic and it was nice to soak that all up on the podium.

After the race, I had some lovely messages from a lot of people that have supported me along the way as well as from supporters around the world and it always amazes me to hear the lengths people go to, to watch my races and cheer me on.

We had rather a quick turnaround before Spa the next weekend and my flight out of Budapest was delayed – so my celebration consisted of a game of monopoly in the airport lounge with Lando and Alex Albon accompanied by some chicken nuggets, as it was the only thing we could get our hands on at the airport.

We did have a cool moment back at MTC (above) following Spa where the whole team got together on the boulevard (where many of the team’s greatest cars are displayed) to celebrate the win.

It’s nice to thank all the people who are working so hard and pushing to deliver performance in the car as the success is as much theirs as it is mine. I feel privileged to be part of this team and extremely motivated to achieve much more for and with them.

There is a lot left for me to accomplish in this sport, but it was also another step in the right direction and more learning and experience in the process.

I felt like I built up really good momentum before the break with the win in Hungary, two second places, in Austria and Spa, and fourth at Silverstone so I’m happy with where my driving is at and looking to kick on in the second part of the season.

The break actually came at a good time for me as I picked up a fractured rib around Austria time, three or four races before the F1 summer break. Therefore, it’s been a good opportunity to let that rest and heal so I’m now fully fit and looking ahead to Zandvoort this weekend when the action resumes.

During the break, I’ve been having a rest with the odd training session here and there but also been keeping a close eye on the Olympics in Paris.

It’s been an amazing effort by our Olympians to bring home 18 golds and 53 medals in total. Some of the performances have been outstanding. Watching athletes like Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown, Cam McEvoy, Jess Fox and many more has been phenomenal.

I’m looking forward to the Paralympics now which get under way towards the end of the month, after we’ve raced at Zandvoort, as they are set to be equally as competitive.

Hope you are also managing to have a break before F1 gets going again. Take care and speak soon.

Piastri’s F1 column as published in Auto Action magazine issue 1893 on sale August 25 2024.

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