Oscar Piastri makes feelings clear about his shunted Australia run after Chinese GP victory

Oscar Piastri has said he "deserved" his victory at the Chinese GP after a dissapointing ninth-place finish in the Australian season-opener. Starting on pole, he maintained his lead throughout the 56-lap race, helping Mclaren secure a 1-2 finish alongside Lando Norris.

Piastri began his Australian weekend strong, qualifying second behind his teammate. He initially lost his spot to Max Verstappen at the start, but promptly regained his position. However, as rain intensified, he lost control on lap 44 and went off the track. Consequently, he tumbled down the order to finish ninth, after a daring last-lap pass on Lewis Hamilton.

Unable to launch his championship campaign on home turf, Piastri arrived at China and displayed strong pace. He outqualified Norris for both the Sprint and main races, with the latter being his first-ever pole. Lining up behind Verstappen on the grid for the Sprint qualifying, Piastri passed the world champion on lap 15 to secure a second-place podium finish, while Hamilton took the top step.

In the main race, Mclaren executed a one-stop strategy for both the drivers, as Oscar Piastri maintained his lead over Lando Norris and secured his first win of the season. Talking to the press post-race, Piastri said:

“This is what I feel like I deserved from last week, so (I’m) extremely happy. The team did a mega job, 1-2 obviously. Very, very happy. Very proud of the race we managed to pull off. It wasn’t an easy one going in, and (I’m) just proud of the whole team and the weekend I’ve been able to pull off.”

Victory in China has placed Piastri fourth in the standings with 34 points, leaving him 10 points adrift of Norris in the lead.

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Oscar Piastri's team principal addresses Lando Norris' potential race-ending issue in Chinese GP

During the final laps of the Chinese GP, a brake pedal issue plagued Lando Norris, raising concerns over his safety. After successfully bringing the car home, team principal Andrea Stella praised him and the team on handling the problem, ensuring a 1-2 finish for the Woking outfit.

In the closing stages, Norris reported a "long" brake pedal, leading to concerns over reduced responsiveness. To mitigate the issue, he was instructed to lift his throttle early into the braking zones to minimize usage. At this point, he went from chasing Oscar Piastri for the lead to being overtaken by Mercedes' George Russell. However, he eventually passed and held him off to cross the finish line second.

Talking to the media after the race, Stella said:

"Around 15-20 laps to the end, we started to develop a problem on the brake pedal for Lando. Lando did a very good job, together with the team, to manage through the problem, adapting the driving style such that it didn’t become a terminal problem."

Following a race win in Australia during wet conditions, Lando Norris struggled in Shanghai, qualifying sixth and finishing eighth in the Sprint race. However, he made up for it by finishing second in the main race, after passing Russell from third. He sits at the top of the standings with 44 points.