Ice boy? Don’t sell Piastri short

Oscar Piastri is known for his calm, unflappable demeanor that often sees him reacting in similar fashion to a stunning pole position or a frustrating ninth place.

He had the latter at his home race in Australia to start the season, and then the former was delivered on Saturday in Spain, as his final lap in Q3 put him over 0.2s clear of teammate Lando Norris in what was, remarkably, the biggest pole position gap of the season.

But while it must be said that Piastri did show some emotion when he had that heart-wrenching result in Melbourne, he was also pretty animated – for him – after qualifying in Barcelona, when given a nickname that he really didn’t want.

“I'm not sure I want to go under the name Ice Boy!” Piastri said. “I think the emotions are different each time. Certainly, there’s been qualifyings and races where it’s not been nonchalant and there’s been a lot of emotion behind them. But then there’s others where you go out and you know that if you do a good enough job, you can achieve the result you want.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredibly satisfying, but I think I’m just not a particularly emotional person. That’s just how I am, really. Don’t get me wrong, there are still moments that I am emotional, but I also know that today… It’s a nice thing to have, starting on pole, but it’s not the end of the weekend. The points are tomorrow.

“After the races, it depends a bit on the race. If you’ve had a battle with someone the whole race and then you win, then yeah, you’re pretty pumped up. But if you’ve got a bit of a gap, you kind of know with a few laps to go that it’s going to go your way, and then it doesn’t spill over so much. So yeah, that’s just how I am.”

Norris and Piastri can be strikingly different in their reactions, but they have both had their turns at the tip of the McLaren spear. Lars Baron/Getty Images

Piastri’s approach has often been contrasted with his teammate, as Norris can be particularly hard on himself when things don’t go so well. Having seen a 0.017s advantage after the first runs of Q3 turn into a 0.209s deficit when the final standings were locked in, you might have expected a similar scenario.

After all, Norris had made very clear in Monaco that he was proud of his performance in winning from pole but wanted to back it up with similar in Spain, and to deliver the consistency that he would need to win this year’s championship. But he was far more philosophical after qualifying as his attentions turned to the race.

“The speed was easily there today, and sometimes you just don’t put the laps in,” Norris said. “Today was good. I think I was a little bit behind at the start of qualifying and I caught up nicely. I know where I lost that time on the final lap. It was just trying a little bit too much and just not being quite tidy enough [punishes you] – especially around a lap like Barcelona.

“One little oversteer in Turn 1, Turn 2, you kind of already know it’s going to be a tricky rest of the lap. So, it’s still good. I still feel fine. I’m happy with second, especially in Barcelona – it’s not the end of the world.”

One of the reasons for the optimism comes from the two McLaren drivers believing they have machinery that could allow them to clear off into the distance if they get a good start on Sunday, with Norris saying of his car: “We have the best one.”

But that would be to discount Max Verstappen, who was within 0.1s of Norris despite feeling he never had the car to challenge for pole position. And starting from third, with a long run to Turn 1, the Dutchman is not likely to be tentative off the line.

The papaya pair think they are poised for a Monster of a day in Barcelona but Verstappen says hold my Red Bull. When he's done with it. Clive Rose/Getty Images

“I think it's time to shine in Turn 1,” Verstappen said, half-jokingly. “Make it three-wide for the pictures. Why not? I don't know. Honestly, I think looking at pace, it will be tough. It’s not all about the start and Turn 1. You need to be good on tires. It’s a long race. A lot can happen. So, I’ll just try to maximize what I got.”

At Imola, what Verstappen had was a car that was perfectly capable of winning once he pulled a stunning move to take the lead, also from pole-sitter Piastri. In Jeddah, he also had the pace required in Jeddah but picked up a penalty that cost him track position, and Friday’s race simulations put Red Bull in the mix to be a threat if Verstappen can hit the front.

There’s also the added aspect of the impact of the stricter front wing flexibility tests. As much as they appear to have had little influence so far, if the car balance is tougher to manage through a race, then tire degradation can be adversely affected and that will really hurt race pace, so if there is to be an impact on any teams it is more likely to be seen on Sunday.

Piastri knows the start will be a crucial aspect of his hopes of extending his championship lead, but not the only challenge he is likely to face on a hot race day in Barcelona.

“I think trying to get a good start and keep the lead is a good idea probably,” Piastri said. “But there's going to be some strategy involved tomorrow. The long runs yesterday were pretty painful for everyone, I think. So, it's going to be a different race to a lot of the races we've had this year.

“Hopefully, a bit different to last weekend. I think it will be an interesting race still and it's not as simple as take the lead at the start and cruise from there. It's going to be a challenge to manage the tires, timing your stops right. There's going to be a lot going on.”

Whether Piastri handles all of that successfully or not, you know he will get out of the car and reflect on it in the same calm and controlled manner he does every race.

Perhaps unless you call him the Ice Boy.