How much performance did Piastri lose due to the floor damage on his McLaren?
Oscar Piastri believes a podium was within reach at the Belgian Grand Prix before early contact with Charles Leclerc left his McLaren carrying floor damage that compromised the remainder of his race.
Piastri started among the front-runners at Spa-Francorchamps and displayed strong pace during the opening stint. However, while attempting to overtake Leclerc around the outside of Turn 5, the pair made slight side-to-side contact, with the McLaren sustaining damage to its floor.
The damage cost the Australian several tenths of a second per lap, allowing Leclerc to remain ahead before eventually finishing second. Piastri's afternoon became even more difficult late in the race when he was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton, leaving him to settle for fifth place.
Reflecting on the race, Piastri felt McLaren had shown encouraging pace before the incident. However, he admitted the contact with Leclerc fundamentally changed the complexion of his afternoon.
"We had good pace today, especially in the first stint, and the podium wasn't out of the question, which is a positive we can take away. However, it was certainly not a straightforward race for us."
The Australian explained just how costly the floor damage proved to be: "The damage we sustained after the contact with Charles Leclerc just made things much more difficult as we were losing a few tenths per lap."
Piastri said the loss of performance made it difficult to remain competitive during the remainder of the opening stint.
"I struggled for the rest of that stint, and while we compensated a little for it in the second stint, the race was tougher than it needed to be."
Looking beyond Spa, the McLaren driver acknowledged the team still has work to do to match the pace of the frontrunners.
"We definitely need a bit more performance as it feels like we're just that one step behind which isn't the easiest position to be in."
McLaren is planning to introduce further upgrades in the coming races, and Piastri hopes they will allow the team to challenge more consistently at the front. With Formula One heading straight to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Piastri is eager to see whether those improvements can make an immediate impact.
"We're looking ahead now, and hopefully the new upgrades we plan to bring will help us close that gap and compete more consistently. Let's see what we can do in Hungary."
