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We’re on lap 3 of 63 and Piastri is setting a blistering pace, but is it too late already?
After he was overtaken in the opening corners of the race, nothing has gone right for the Australian star – pit dramas, unfortunately timed yellow flags, mid-pack traffic, you name it.
Verstappen, who took the risk of the early dive bomb, has played this perfectly.
Piastri has had a tougher-than-expected day at Imola.Credit: Getty Images
At the end of lap 29, still under virtual safety car conditions, Piastri has pitted again.
That answers his one-stop or two-stop predicament.
He’s on a set of hard tyres that’ll have to see him through to the end of the race, but he’s well and truly up against it now as the full green flag conditions resume.
Meanwhile, Verstappen is the man out in front, with not a care in the world.
Piastri (fourth) and Charles Leclerc (ninth) are the only two racers in the top 10 to have pitted twice already.
Could there be a safety car here?
They’ve brought out “virtual safety car” conditions and Verstappen has timed his run perfectly. He stayed out, and has benefitted by pitting when the rest of the field is restricted near the stricken Esteban Ocon.
There’s a fully of pit activity here on laps 29 and 30. Verstappen is still doing as he pleases out in front, on fresh rubber, with Piastri up into second, but still about 20 seconds adrift.
Piastri is storming through the pack now, but has to if he wants to genuinely challenge Verstappen.
Next up the road? Isack Hadjar, a star of the “junior” Red Bull team, RB. He’ll be looking to make his car as wide as possible to impress his bosses, but Piastri has DRS…
And Piastri has him! Now he’s back into fourth and, as Ted Kravitz has said on the Sky coverage,“keeping this race alive”.
The problem is… can Oscar’s tyres cope with it?
Piastri is pitting at the end of lap 28.
Piastri had a frustrating pit stop – exactly what he didn’t need.Credit: AP
On lap 25, Verstappen holds a commanding nine-second lead over Norris, with Piastri now in seventh – still the first of those who’ve pitted.
He’s over 32 seconds behind Verstappen. Remember, the pit-stop process costs about 28 seconds.
George Russell is 13th on track (having pitted), but he looks in all sorts here. He’s complaining of a feeling of disconnection with his rear tyres, even down the straights. Could there be a mechanical problem already for the Mercedes star?
Don’t expect Piastri’s teammate Norris to pit any time soon – at least if his team radio is to be believed.
His mechanic just reminded him that the key is clear air, and going long.
On lap 21, Piastri is eighth but first of the cars to have pitted. Verstappen leads from Norris, Albon, Hadjar, and Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton wants to “undercut” those around him, but Ferrari has warned him of the lack of clear air to do that in. Instead, they could even look for a one-stopper.
The Imola race has come alive, and Oscar Piastri has it all to do.Credit: AP
Oscar Piastri is just over 30 seconds behind Max Verstappen at this stage, with the average time lost through the pits at around 28 seconds.
This is massive.
It means Verstappen has a clear advantage now, particularly given the traffic ahead of the Australian star. Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen’s teammate, just tried to make his Red Bull as wide as possible to keep Piastri behind.
Lando Norris is still in second on his medium tyres, but nearly 10 seconds behind Verstappen already.
Piastri has to keep his foot down here. If Verstappen stays at the front of field, unencumbered in clear air, it could be curtains…
Piastri hasn’t had it all his own way off the start.Credit: AP
Oscar Piastri was going for the undercut – to pit first, ahead of Max Verstappen, at the end of lap 13, so he could get back out on fresher rubber and set a blistering out lap to overtake him when Verstappen pits.
The only problem… Piastri had a really clumsy pit stop, with struggles with the front right wheel.
He’s dropped back to 11th in the running order now – having pitted.
The front-runners still haven’t. They are: Verstappen, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, Isack Hadjar, and Kimi Antonelli.
George Russell has jumped into the pits early – out of the top five.
It seems Oscar Piastri started on a one-stop “Plan A”, but he just said over team radio just how ambitious that seems.
He’s lost some time to Max Verstappen, too. The Dutchman now holds a 2.7- second advantage at the head of the grid.
