05/07/2025 19:15
Oscar Piastri has vowed to get his elbows out ahead of what could
prove to be a captivating fight with Max Verstappen and Lando
Norris in the British Grand Prix. From provisional pole after his
first flying run in the final session of qualifying at Silverstone,
and wondering how he could improve on his sub-75-second lap of
1:24.995s, Piastri will start from second on the grid following Max
Verstappen's stunning lap to oust the Australian by 0.103s. Piastri
will go into the race with Verstappen ahead of him, but also
McLaren team-mate Lando Norris behind after the Briton could only
manage third in front of his home crowd. "I was happy with the
first lap," said Piastri. "The first lap was mega to be honest. I
was trying to think of how I was going to go faster than I did.
"The last lap was a little bit messy, but it's been tight all
weekend. I think the first lap was very good. I don't know how much
the track would have improved, but a little bit on the table. "The
team's done a great job. We've tried a lot of things this weekend
to get a bit more pace. The car's felt mega all weekend, but there
have been a few points where we've been scratching our heads as to
why we're not quicker. "So the team's done a great job getting us
back onto the form we know, and it can be an exciting race from
there." Asked how tricky it was to go again and find additional lap
time following his first flying run, Piastri said: "It's tough,
especially when you think it's a good lap. "You don't want to
overdo it and try and go over the limit. I think there were a
couple of corners where I was maybe a bit safe on the way in. I
tried to make up for it on the way out, and it didn't quite work.
"There are always little bits. It's fine margins, as we know, but
ultimately, I'm pretty happy with second on the grid, so I'm
looking forward to a fun race." Asked whether he would get his
elbows out, given the two drivers on either side of him, he
replied: "Yep, I think so. "It's going to be a fun race. It's been
very evenly matched between us, Max, and the Ferraris. I saw even
George [Russell] up there at the end, so it's going to be a pretty
evenly paced race. "All of us have got slightly different
strengths. The Red Bull is very quick in a straight line, we seem a
bit quicker in the high speed, so it's going to be a fun one."
