Oscar Piastri has fired a dig at Ferrari following an incident with Lewis Hamilton in Singapore.
With just seven races remaining in the Formula 1 season, drivers arrive at the Yas Marina Street Circuit amid mounting tension. Piastri currently leads the Drivers’ Standings by 25 points ahead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
Although the championship looked be a straight shootout between the two McLarens, Max Verstappen has closed the gap to 69 points after victories in the past two races. And the pressure was evident during the first practice session in Singapore.
Piastri was heading out for a flying lap, when he encountered the Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari at the first corner. The incident clearly annoyed the Australian, who felt the Briton had got in his way.Over team radio, Piastri took aim at Hamilton saying: “Ferrari will invent mirrors one day I hope.”How important is the Singapore Grand Prix?
At this stage of the season, every race is hugely significant. For Piastri, Singapore is an opportunity to bounce back after a difficult weekend in Azerbaijan, where he endured his worst weekend of the campaign.
After crashing out in qualifying, he repeated the feat during the race, delaying McLaren’s chance at securing the Constructors’ Championship.
Despite the disappointment in Baku, Piastri remained upbeat. He added: “I think for 16 of the 17 weekends, what I’ve been doing has worked very well.
“I think if I make sure I stay focused on the things that have gone well, then it will continue to go that way.
“So nothing revolutionary, I’m just putting it down to some mistakes. Obviously, it looks quite dramatic because they’re all on the same weekend, but nothing more than that really.”
For Norris, the focus remains on narrowing the gap to his teammate.Why is it a heat hazard?
The FIA has declared this weekend’s race a heat hazard, with temperatures expected to exceed 31C alongside high humidity.
Although they are not mandatory, teams may choose to fit cooling vests to help drivers cope with the tough conditions.
This is the first time that a race has been declared as a ‘heat hazard’ following the introduction of a new rule designed to protect drivers in hot weather.
The decision was welcomed by both George Russell and Carlos Sainz, who serve as GPA directors.
Sainz added: “Only hot is not too bad for us.
“We have that, for example, in Hungary where it gets really hot but it’s not humid.
“Humid on its own is not too bad at all if it’s not too hot. But when it’s 28C, 30C degrees plus humid, that’s when it gets to Singapore levels and it’s tough.”