Oscar Piastri pleased with podium recovery in Singapore as he helps McLaren strengthen constructors’ lead

Oscar Piastri expressed his satisfaction at the “great result” of rising to the podium at the Singapore Grand Prix, after the McLaren driver started Sunday’s race down in fifth position via a difficult qualifying session.

Piastri, who won the previous race in Azerbaijan, lined up on the third row of the grid at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after being outpaced by team mate Lando Norris, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the two Mercedes drivers over one lap.

While things looked set to get worse at Turn 1, where he was passed by Haas rival Nico Hulkenberg in the bottleneck, a swift return to P5 proved decisive for the Australian before staying out on track longer than anyone else in the first stint.

2024 Singapore Grand Prix: Brilliant rear angle view as Hulkenberg passes Piastri on the race start

Having briefly run second, Piastri returned to the track behind Norris, Verstappen, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton – but he made the most of his fresher tyres to clear the Silver Arrows and end the 62-lap encounter on the rostrum.

Asked about his night at the wheel, Piastri initially joked: “Warm is how it was! It was a good race, a good recovery from qualifying yesterday. It wasn’t my greatest afternoon yesterday, but to get back to the podium is a great result.

“I felt like we had a really quick car underneath us and a good strategy to get past the Mercedes. A big thank you to the team, the car was exceptional this weekend, and some great points for the whole team.”

With team mate Norris brushing a few walls en route to his dominant win, Piastri was asked if there were any standout moments of difficulty – or near misses with the barriers – that he experienced across the race.

2024 Singapore Grand Prix: Piastri gets up to P3 by passing Hamilton and then Russell

“No, I think I kept it off them this time,” he said. “I don’t think I hit anything. It was a bit close with George at Turn 1, but once I got into third I had a massive gap to try and close up [to Verstappen], so I didn’t want to take too many risks.

“I feel like I’ve brushed enough walls in the last two weeks, so hopefully the mechanics don’t have to change too many bits before the next race!”

McLaren’s double podium finish means the team now lead rivals Red Bull by 41 points in the constructors’ championship, while Norris has cut Verstappen’s advantage in the drivers’ battle to 52 points.