McLaren star Oscar Piastri shares the injury he sustained after racing at the British Grand Prix

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Oscar Piastri will be delighted with how the 2024 season has started for him and McLaren.

McLaren have gone from strength to strength since Oscar Piastri joined from Alpine before the start of the 2023 season.

Piastri only scored points twice in his first nine races with McLaren last year, but has only missed out on finishing in the top ten once so far in 2024 after a collision with Carlos Sainz cost him points in Miami.

There’s an argument to suggest that McLaren now have the fastest car on the grid although it’s Mercedes that have been denying Max Verstappen victories in the past few races.

Lando Norris is Verstappen’s closest rival in the Drivers’ Championship but in recent races, he’s been outscored by his less experienced Australian teammate.

Piastri has finished on the podium in three of the last four races including his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary.

However, the 23-year-old has now shared on Instagram that he’s been competing in recent races with an injury.

Formula 1 is incredibly demanding and the G-force that drivers have to deal with requires a huge amount of training between races and in the off-season.

Races can be extremely uncomfortable – with many drivers becoming unwell during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix due to the extreme heat – and if you’re not at 100% fitness, races will exacerbate any problem.

Piastri has said that on his way to winning his first Grand Prix at the Hungaroring, he was racing with a broken rib.

He’s shared a photo of an X-ray taken the day after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and he’s admitted that he’s still suffering with the problem now.

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Oscar Piastri broke his rib after the British Grand Prix

Reflecting on the opening 14 race weekends of the season, Piastri said: “First part of the season done. First GP victory. First broken bone. Rib’s enjoying the break.”

Piastri then shared a picture of an X-ray from the 8^th July 2024, a day after the British Grand Prix.

It shows a fracture to his 6^th rib and judging by his message, he’s still not fully recovered.

The British Grand Prix should have been Piastri’s first Grand Prix victory of his career were it not for a poor strategy call from McLaren.

Piastri and Norris were running 1^st and 2^nd when the rain got heavier at Silverstone and the Brit was called into the pits.

Instead of double stacking their cars, Piastri was kept out for one more lap but lost so much time in worsening conditions that despite being on the best tyres throughout the race, he couldn’t close the gap to the top three drivers.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Flavio Briatore makes world champion prediction for Oscar Piastri

The pathway from Formula 2 to Formula 1 has become more and more difficult to traverse but Piastri is the ultimate success story.

The speed at which Piastri has improved since joining McLaren has been extraordinary and given he’s only 32 points behind Norris, it’s not unthinkable that he could overtake his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship.

Renault advisor Flavio Briatore believes Piastri is a future world champion and after helping Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso win their first F1 titles, he knows a thing or two about spotting talent.

Piastri has another two weeks to recoup before the Dutch Grand Prix where Max Verstappen will be desperate to return to winning ways.

On current form, Piastri is one of the most likely drivers to stop him from claiming the top step of the podium.