Verstappen disillusioned Piastri: 'Expectations reduced'

In his first season in Formula 1, Oscar Piastri is mainly to be found in the middle and backfield. The McLaren Australian is reputed to be a super talent, but competing for wins is not for him as yet. The moments Piastri sees men like Max Verstappen during a Grand Prix is when he is put on a lap. That can be a teachable moment, Piastri told GPblog.

In Monaco, Piastri remained behind Verstappen for some time after the world champion overtook him. On the wet Monte Carlo track, the youngster sat on the front row to see how Verstappen handled the conditions. GPblog asked Piastri what all he had learned from those moments.

'Different from the junior series'

"Nothing for long term, just in that moment it was nice to have him as a reference of where to brake," the Melbourne man told this website. "I think leading the race by such a big margin, he was probably taking it quite cautiously."

Piastri continued: "There were some moments where I got very close to the wall and lost a lot of grip at times I wasn't expecting to. Even though we were on slicks in wet conditions. I think because we have so much downforce and we rely on that so much, when you take away all the grip from the tyres, you lose the line you're on and you have no control. Different to the junior cars. Nice to have him there to lower my expectations of the grip I have," pointing to how easily Verstappen could actually keep his Red Bull on the track.