Oscar Piastri delivered an improved display in Italy, but still found the style of racing unusual to get to grips with. The McLaren driver finished fifth at Monza, yet for large portions of the race, a podium finish looked within reach.
Unfortunately for the Australian, his rostrum chances were ruined by a back-and-forth battle with Lewis Hamilton. The pair squabbled over fourth before Piastri broke away; however, the seven-time world champion suddenly caught the McLaren driver and overtook him by using a significant amount of battery.
Once ahead, Hamilton continued to use what was left in his battery to get almost one second ahead before it depleted, and he was almost immediately re-overtaken by Piastri. Energy management was a critical factor in Monza and remains something very unusual for the drivers to experience.
Asked if playing a thinking game with energy management was fun, Piastri told select media, including RacingNews365: "It's difficult. Like, if you use any extra energy, you're going to pay for it somewhere. And I was kind of slowly building a gap on Lewis, and then he spent all his energy getting past me, and then kind of kept using it to try and break free. And he actually got, like, a second ahead, and he lost it all in one straight. So it's still quite bizarre."
"Did I enjoy it more than I thought? Yes. Was I stuck in a lot of battles that I just wanted to go and have them pull me further into the race? Yes. I was also in that situation, so it is what it is. Probably better than a race where nothing happens, but definitely difficult in the cockpit to know exactly what to do," he added.
Piastri's performance at Monza showed signs of progress, though he still needs to find the best way to manage energy to fight at the front consistently. With new regulations demanding energy efficiency, drivers are required to think more tactically on every lap.
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