Oscar Piastri eyeing off F1 sprint in Brazil as McLaren aim for fourth

Oscar Piastri has said his rapid rise up the championship standings, on the back of multiple strong results, is “reassuring” as the season approaches its conclusion.

This Monday’s (AEDT) Sao Paulo Grand Prix is the third last of the season, with Piastri sitting ninth in the drivers’ championship in his rookie year.

He and teammate Lando Norris have soared into fourth in the constructors’ championship, a far cry from the start of the season when McLaren was well off the pace.

Piastri was eighth last time out in Mexico City, a slightly disappointing result as his teammate rose from 17th to fifth. 

“Mexico was slightly tougher for me with the damage, but I’ve debriefed with the team, and I’ll take the learnings into this weekend as we aim for more points,” Piastri said.

This weekend in Brazil will also be the final weekend with a sprint race the day before the grand prix.

Piastri has excelled in sprints in 2023, winning in Qatar and finishing second in Belgium.

The Australian said he is hopeful to continue his good form in this format of the season, at a track he has never raced on.

“It’s a sprint weekend which I enjoy, and it gives us more chances for points,” he said.

“I’ve never raced here before, so I’m excited to get on track at such an iconic circuit.

McLaren is 20 points clear of Aston Martin in the battle for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

The constructors’ championship is where prize money is awarded in F1, with the difference between each position worth millions of dollars.

“With the final Sprint event of the season, there’s a bigger prospect to score points and we aim to maximise our opportunities across the weekend,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said.

“We keep being encouraged with the performance of our car and hope to be competitive once again.”