Oscar Piastri has said that “patience” in identifying the right set-up on his McLaren was crucial to taking pole position for Formula 1‘s Dutch Grand Prix.
The Australian took top spot in qualifying after falling short of team-mate Lando Norris in all three of the free practice sessions at Zandvoort.
Whilst having little distance in terms of classification, Norris’ practice times were a marked improvement on Piastri’s, setting him up as favourite for pole.
But Piastri delivered when it mattered most, and his 1:08.662s was enough to take top spot by just one hundredth of a second.
Speaking after qualifying, Piastri said his car felt improved after adjusting things on his MCL39 beforehand, which ultimately paid dividends.
“It felt pretty good [his lap],” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“You know, not perfect, but I think with the wind being so strong, there’s some places that are never going to feel perfect.
“It felt good and like a good improvement from what we did this weekend. So it was nice to be able to pull it out then. It took a lot of hard work and patience in trying to find the time.”
‘Little tweaks’ key for Piastri to unlock McLaren package
When asked to elaborate on what exactly it took for him to be patient for, Piastri explained that just the smallest of “tweaks” was enough to see him leapfrog Norris on the timesheets.
“You know, little tweaks here and there,” he said. “I think qualifying, when you get a few more throws at it, you get a few more sets, naturally it’s a little bit easier to find a little bit more.
“Obviously the pressure is much higher than practice, but yeah, just like this weekend, took a lot of attempts to try and improve in some places and eventually it was just enough attempts. So yeah, just trying to drive fast.”
Piastri was certain that he had the package underneath him to fight for pole, but revealed that personal improvements were also required to put Norris in the shadow.
“I knew that [the strength of the car] from FP1,” he said. “I think the pace this weekend has been very strong.
“I think FP3 seemed very, very strong and I knew that the car wasn’t the problem. It was just that it was taking me a while to improve in some places.
“So yeah, I think it’s done a great job in firstly putting the car in a good place for me and also helping me improve myself.”
READ MORE – F1 2025 Dutch Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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