For the second consecutive race, McLaren celebrated a double podium finish as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris secured second and third place, respectively, at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend.
Fresh from his maiden Formula 1 victory in the Sprint race, Piastri demonstrated remarkable prowess as he climbed from a sixth-place start to secure the runner-up position.
His journey to second place was propelled by a fortuitous first lap incident involving the two Mercedes drivers.
Piastri, a rookie in the sport, capitalised on the collision and ensuing traffic to position himself as a formidable contender early on.
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Following the mandated three pit stops, he crossed the finish line just under five seconds behind the race-winner, Max Verstappen, marking the best performance of his budding Formula 1 career.
An elated Piastri expressed his satisfaction, stating, “Very, very happy, obviously – Turn 1 was nice, that was definitely in the game plan before the race.
“Really impressive pace…
“That was the most we could have done. Second and third for the team is an amazing result, it’s been an amazing weekend in general.
“So, I’m very happy… happy that all the tires stayed together, that was good obviously, but yeah happy with another trophy too.”
As Piastri continues to impress, he now sets his sights on a significant milestone in the Formula 1 world.
The young driver is on the cusp of surpassing a long-standing record held by Lewis Hamilton since 2007.
Hamilton currently holds the rookie record for the most points scored in a single season, accumulating 109 points during his debut season.
Piastri’s current points tally stands at 83, with five races remaining in the season, including two sprint events.
To break Hamilton’s record, he needs just 27 more points.
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Hamilton’s 2007 campaign saw him narrowly miss out on the championship title, losing to Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen by a single point.
Since then, no rookie has come close to challenging Hamilton’s record, with Alex Albon’s 92 points in 2019 being the closest.
Considering McLaren’s recent resurgence and Piastri’s impressive performances, the prospect of him surpassing Hamilton’s record seems increasingly likely.