F1 News: Oscar Piastri On Scary Brazil GP Crash - "Saw The Tyre Flying Through The Air"
Rookie driver Oscar Piastri recounted the harrowing experience of witnessing a tyre soaring past his car after a first corner collision at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The incident led to a red flag as several other drivers were forced to retire from the race, but also provided Piastri with unexpected learning opportunities.
Key Takeaways:
- Oscar Piastri's Close Call: During the race, Piastri narrowly avoided a flying tyre resulting from a clash between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen, an incident that caused a red flag and considerable damage to several cars.
- The Consequences of Qualifying: Piastri pointed out the increased risk associated with qualifying in lower positions, which exposed him to potential race-start incidents.
- Making the Most Out of the Situation: Despite the setback, Piastri praised his team's rapid response to repair the damage and utilised the extended race time to experiment with his driving techniques, looking to turn the incident into a valuable learning experience.
The Brazilian Grand Prix witnessed a dramatic turn of events when a first-corner collision resulted in a near-miss incident for F1 newcomer Oscar Piastri. Reflecting on the chaos, the young Australian shared his immediate reaction as the accident unfolded before him.
"I hit the brakes for Turn 1, looked in the mirror, and saw someone's tyre flying through the air and I thought that didn't look very good," Piastri described the unsettling moment. "Sure enough, I got an impact after that. It's a shame. Of course, there was nothing I could have done.
"But when you qualify in those kinds of positions, you leave yourself much more at risk to stuff like that. It all starts on Friday, unfortunately."
The collision had wider implications, affecting several drivers, including Piastri's fellow countryman Daniel Ricciardo. However, Piastri focused on the broader picture of risk management, recognising the inherent dangers of starting further back in the grid.
"After that, I tried to stay on the lead lap and learn as much as I could because it's not been the easiest of weekends," Piastri admitted.
"But thanks to the amazing efforts from everyone to get the car back together in twenty minutes, which was no mean feat, I got an extra 70 laps that I otherwise wouldn't have.
!So I learned a lot, just in general, but also for when I come back next year.
Piastri also emphasised the valuable lessons learned during the aftermath of the crash.
"Yesterday there were some things I wanted to try and improve," he mentioned, indicating his proactive approach to refining his performance based on the previous day's sprint race
"It's very rare you get an opportunity to try things like that. Of course, I would have preferred the opportunity hadn't come up in the first place, but when it's there, you've got to try and capitalise on it what with the lack of testing we have."