Oscar Piastri eases pressure towards the end with DHL Fastest Lap

The McLarens were once again favorites for victory in the Spanish Grand Prix. The British racing outfit benefited from having the fastest car in both qualifying and the race itself. Sunday’s front-runner Oscar Piastri controlled the pace ahead of team-mate Lando Norris. However, neither of them had the luxury of an unchallenged one-two victory.

Kimi Antonelli’s technical failure brought out a late safety car, which allowed the pursuing pack led by Max Verstappen to close the gap to the leading duo. So, at the restart on lap 61, Piastri had to deliver once again. The young Australian’s timing was excellent, and he sailed around the first corner clear of his opponents. He then proceeded to set the DHL Fastest Lap in a time of 1:15.743 minutes. This was a full 0.444 seconds faster than the closest pursuer, Norris, and he quickly maneuvered himself out of the DRS window. Over the remaining five laps, Piastri pulled out a lead of 2.5 seconds to record his fifth win of the season in the ninth race.

“I was able to increase my pace, when I needed to,” said the current championship leader afterwards. “The team gave me a great car once again. It’s a lot of fun winning races at the moment.”