Chasing down Red Bull the priority for Piastri for the second half of the F1 season

He may have started to reap the individual rewards but Oscar Piastri’s says his key focus for the rest of the F1 season is to help McLaren chase down a vulnerable Red Bull to claim team success.

Oscar Piastri of Australia, McLaren F1 Team during the Race of the FORMULA 1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2024 at Hungaroring on July 21, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images)

Australian F1 star Oscar Piastri believes McLaren can mount a serious threat to title leaders Red Bull Racing and win this year’s constructors’ championship.

Piastri and teammate Lando Norris were the hottest duo ahead of the mid-season break helping McLaren close the gap to just 42 points at the top of the points standings having been, following the Miami Grand Prix, well over 100 points in arrears.

With Sergio Perez failing to deliver, and Red Bull Racing’s advantage having been eroded, success in the championship is a realistic shot.

Piastri admitted that while he has some personal ambitions heading into the second half of the campaign, his bigger goal is to help McLaren claim the teams’ title.

The Australian competed in the final three races prior to the summer shutdown with a broken rib, including his breakthrough maiden F1 victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri achieved his first F1 win with a broken rib. Picture: GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images

Piastri took to social media, sharing an X-ray of the injury which sources have revealed to Speedcafe was picked up around the Austrian Grand Prix.

“Firstly, to keep improving on the things I’ve been doing,” Piastri said of his goals in an exclusive interview with Speedcafe.

“I think some of the races in the second half of the year last year were at tracks I didn’t really know.

“There’s hopefully some experience that I’ve gained in those circuits; how to manage the races on those circuits.

“I think I’ve got that to look forward to.

“I also think, just as a sport, it’s going to be an exciting second half of the year,” he added.

“We’ve been scoring the most or second most points for the last seven or eight weekends now.

“We’re still closing in on Red Bull, so I think having our sights firmly set on trying to win the constructors’ championship is a realistic target – not an easy one, but certainly not unrealistic.”

First part of the season done.
First GP victory.
First broken bone.
Rib’s enjoying the break 💪 pic.twitter.com/xee5myxNTP

— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) August 11, 2024

Piastri sits fourth in the drivers’ championship, 110 points down on Verstappen but only 32 back from Norris.

Though nearly 300 points remain on offer, it’s a tall order for either McLaren pilot to chase down the title-leading Dutchman even though Verstappen has now gone four races without winning and two races without finishing on the podium.

“I’m not naïve, I know winning the driver’s championship is an extremely outside chance,” Piastri confessed.

“Whether I finish fifth, sixth, seventh, third, I don’t really mind; it would give me much more satisfaction to have helped the team to a constructors’ championship.

“That’s, I think, the biggest target, I guess, if you want to put it into numbers.”

The key for the 23-year-old however is to continue his development.

Heading into 2024 he targeted improved tyre and race management as areas of focus.

Piastri’s main priority is to help McLaren snatch the Constructors’ Championship from current leaders Red Bull. Picture: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Strong ground has been made on both fronts, culminating in victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix and an impressive final stint at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Continuing that progress, while seizing more of the opportunities that come his way, is the ambition heading into the final 10 races of the year.

“From a personal point of view, just still continuing that improvement, and putting myself in positions to win races,” he explained of his target once the season resumes.

“I’ve done that on a few occasions; I think there’s been some occasions where the opportunities have come and I’ve not been in the position to capitalise on it.

“I just need to make sure that every time there is an opportunity, I’m there to capitalise on it.

“We have a quick enough car that we don’t even need to wait for the opportunities, we can create them ourselves.”

* To read more F1 news go to Speedcafe.com