Piastri finished fifth in Sunday’s race after losing out to both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in the latter stages of the race.
Held in mixed conditions, it was a race that ebbed and flowed based largely on tyre choice and life at any given point.
The sun finally broke through towards the end and left the track largely dry, which saw the two Mercedes drivers become the fastest cars on track.
It made Piastri easy pickings as he slipped off the podium.
“It would have been, I think, incredibly tough to keep them behind all the way to the end, especially being the first car in the firing line for them,” the Australian noted.
“I tried my best to stay in front, but I think just on the new tyres they were clearly a lot quicker than everybody.”
Piastri had battled with Russell for a time, fending off his advances into the final chicane on Lap 62 where the pair made contact.
It was a clash that caught the eye of officials, who investigated post-race and deemed it a racing incident.
“The driver of Car 63 attempted to overtake Car 81 on the outside into Turn 13, got fully alongside, but, given the nature of the turn and the track conditions, failed to complete the manoeuvre and both cars slightly touched at the apex,” stewards noted.
“He then aborted the overtaking attempt, left the track and rejoined safely and without gaining any lasting advantage.
“The Stewards determine that no driver was wholly or predominantly at fault and therefore take no further action”
“I need to see it a bit more,” Piastri said when asked for his view on the incident, before stewards had made their decision.
“It’s an incredibly tough corner to go two wide in and need to be very brave to go around the outside.
“In the end, he got past anyway, so I don’t think it really changed the result – but hopefully it was entertaining!”
Piastri had been running third behind race leader Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at that stage, though had dropped out of DRS range of his team-mate.
Without that, the 23-year-old was exposed to attack from Russell and Hamilton.
“That’s what I wanted,” he admitted when asked if he could have done with some DRS help from his team-mate.
“I’m not sure it would have been the best call as a team – I think it would have just meant that the Mercedes were closer to Lando once they got past me.
“At the end of the race, they were over a second faster a lap,” he added.
“I think at that point of the race, it would have been helpful but I’m not sure it would have been the right decision anyway.”
Tyre management in the changeable conditions was key throughout the race.
In the opening stages, Piastri dropped off the back of the leaders before enjoying strong pace in the middle of the race.
However, when conditions dried, and following his contact with Russell, he slipped back again.
“Struggling a little bit for pace, but also not destroying the tyres,” Piastri explained of his opening stint approach.
“Some laps were good, some were bad, and I think once I got into a rhythm I was okay.
“Clearly they destroyed their tyres a bit more, so I think they probably just had a little bit more grip than us because I think both me and Lando were coming at them towards the end of the first inter.
“If I had pitted, I would have come out in fourth,” he added of the strategy choice under the second Safety Car, during which McLaren chose not to pit.
“I don’t think I would have got past George probably, so maybe it would have been fourth instead of fifth.
“I think having track position at that point, that seemed like a good plan.
“The new tyres were a bigger benefit that I expected as well.”
In the run to the chequered flag, while behind Norris and with Russell beginning to threaten, the team asked if Piastri felt he had the pace to challenge Verstappen for the lead.
“Max, I wasn’t really concerned about at that point,” he reasoned.
“I felt like I was keeping with Lando and we were just kind of going together.
“I knew the Mercedes were going to be quick with new tyres…
“So some things to look at,” he added.
“Whether it was, I guess, necessary to focus on that, at that point – specifically that point of the race.
“I think Mercedes were going to come past at some point.
“George made a bit of a mistake at one point, obviously we had a battle with the last chicane, and I think him and Lewis had a bit of a battle too.
“Without all of that, they probably would have finished second and third.”
As it was, Norris held on to second with Russell third ahead of Hamilton and Piastri.
With Sergio Perez a retirement, McLaren and Mercedes both amassed 28 points in the constructors’ championship, while Red Bull Racing scored 25 courtesy of Verstappen winning the race. Ferrari meanwhile scored zero, with a double DNF for the Scuderia.
McLaren now has 212 points in the championship, 40 back from Ferrari in second and 111 from Red Bull Racing.
Piastri is sixth in the drivers’ standings with 81 points.
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