'Wise' Piastri's aggressive side, 'insanely' matched by Verstappen

Verstappen admitted to his start not being the best. But to his left Mercedes driver George Russell got off the line very well, which polesitter Piastri was set on covering off. In doing so, though, he left a gap on the outside for Verstappen, who did not hesitate to capitalise on it with an excellent move on the outside of Turn 2.

"Piastri probably glanced in the mirror and thought: 'Max is still too far away'. But Verstappen perfectly sensed the moment and pulled off an insane move," said Wurz during the live broadcast by Austrian ORF. "That is world class. He analysed his opponent's weak spot in a flash and acted immediately."

In the end Piastri, while quick, was on the slower strategy, as going long during the first stint proved the most fruitful, not only due to the two race neutralisations but also since the hard compound tyres did not have the pace at Imola.

But the way he lost, Wurz notes, reveales Piastri's championship-winning mentality.

According to the former F1 driver, Piastri's wisdom also has an aggressive side to it, which last Sunday was matched by Verstappen. “Back then, Piastri essentially said: ‘I am here,’ and now Max says: ‘Don’t forget I am here too – and how!’”