Piastri put Russell’s outburst into context
“I just want the same car“. George Russell at the end of the Belgian Spa GP cleared Lewis Hamilton after the accident and bluntly suggested that the gap between him and Antonelli is simply technical in nature.
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Oscar Piastri put Russell’s outburst into context by pointing out that his colleague is not wrong, but it is something all drivers have to deal with regardless of the power unit supplier: “I know George had quite a few problems during the weekend and, talking to other drivers, the situation is similar – Piastri’s words reported by the outlet racingnews365.com – when starting grids are decided by computers that work well or poorly, it’s a pretty bad way to race, it’s clear that Russell will tend to exaggerate it, making it seem much worse.”
“When you come back from a qualifying session, analyze the corners and realize you are on par with your teammate but end up two tenths behind at the end of the lap it’s not a nice feeling – added Piastri – it depends on how the system manages things. Changes to fuel flow and reduction of energy release will not solve these specific problems. It’s a matter related to the calibration and learning ability of the engine: these are intrinsic aspects of these power units. Obviously, the situation will improve as manufacturers better understand the engines. It’s not a problem that concerns only us or Mercedes; talking to other drivers, it emerges that it is a common problem for all power units.”
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The formation lap is also decisive
“It’s not ideal, but it happens to everyone, even other engine manufacturers. So it’s not a specific problem of ours, but it’s due to the extreme complexity of these units. They are extremely sensitive to any factor: even what you do during the formation lap can determine how the situation unfolds, making the way of racing really complicated“, concluded Piastri.
