Oscar Piastri admitted after finishing second in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, that it was the hardest race of his life, given the heat and humidity he had to deal with in the cockpit.
Indeed, Piastri was visibly exhausted after he climbed out of his McLaren MCL60 at the end of the race around Lusail International Circuit on Sunday night, as it seemed that conditions remained tough despite the race happening at night time.
However, the Formula 1 rookie has impressed throughout the race, and seemed to be on top of tyre management issue, a front he previously admitted he still lacks on, and finished ahead of his teammate, Lando Norris, noting that McLaren employed team orders at the end of the race to make sure their cars came home second and third and intact.
Piastri started the race from sixth on the gird, having lost his best qualifying lap on Friday due to track limits, but the two Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell coming together on Lap 1 at Turn 1 meant he was up to second, and from there he never looked back.
"Very, very happy. Turn 1 was nice. That was in the game-plan before the race," Piastri said after the grand prix in McLaren's post-race report.
"We had a really impressive pace. It was definitely the hardest race I've had in my life. It was hot and basically flat-out the entire time. It was 57 qualifying laps, which I definitely feel that I've done. A really good race," he added.
The drivers were limited to 18-lap stints on the tyres only, as Pirelli were concerned about the integrity of their tyres due to the kerbs, which meant the race was like doing sprints between tyre changes.
Piastri then added: "My thanks go to the team for providing Lando and myself with a car that means we can fight at the front more consistently.
"There were some great strategy calls today, brilliant pit-stops and despite the challenging conditions, we were able to put it all together on the day. A great day," the Australian concluded.
The Qatar Grand Prix capped off an impressive weekend for Piastri who outqualified Norris and also won the Sprint Race on Saturday, proving that McLaren's decision to swoop him from Alpine was an inspired decision.
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