Oscar Piastri admits £2.9bn F1 team surprised him with how fast they were at the Dutch Grand Prix

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri would have expected so much more from himself after the summer break.

The Dutch Grand Prix appeared to be the perfect opportunity for McLaren to significantly narrow the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.

They did manage to make a dent in the 41-point lead Red Bull previously had but it could have been even better for Andrea Stella’s team.

Lando Norris drove a nearly perfect race, with Martin Brundle highlighting the importance of Norris’s race pace despite his poor start.

However, despite starting 3^rd on the grid, Oscar Piastri couldn’t convert that start into another podium finish.

Speaking on the F1 Post Race Show, Piastri reflected on a performance that will leave him slightly disappointed.

He’s already looking forward to Monza where McLaren should be strong again but knows he needs to be wary of the team’s rivals.

Piastri admitted he was surprised by just how fast Ferrari were during the race.

Charles Leclerc managed to overtake Sergio Perez, George Russell and Piastri throughout the course of the race to return to the podium.

His teammate Carlos Sainz also managed to leapfrog Perez and Russell to finish 5^th despite missing out on Q3 completely on Saturday.

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Oscar Piastri left surprised by Ferrari’s pace during the Dutch Grand Prix

Asked whether Monza will suit his McLaren, Piastri replied: “I think so, I don’t think we fear any circuits anymore like we did last year.

“But I’m looking forward to it, I think Ferrari will be a bit stronger, the low speed and bumpy tracks or curbs is where they’ve generally been pretty strong recently.

“They had a much better day today than I expected them to so I think we’ll be pretty strong but I think it’ll be a pretty hard-fought weekend.”

The £2.9bn-valued F1 team, as per Forbes, have failed to build on a very strong start to the 2024 season when they looked like Red Bull’s closest challenger.

Aside from Leclerc’s brilliant win in Monaco, they’ve underachieved and an update package brought to the Spanish Grand Prix has stalled their progress when they should have been regularly challenging for victories.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory

Ferrari are F1’s most successful team at Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix

Piastri is right to not only praise how fast Ferrari were at Zandvoort but expect them to challenge at Monza too.

Ferrari have won more Italian Grand Prix races than any other team in Formula 1 history.

That shouldn’t come as a real surprise given their longevity in the sport and the extra incentive of winning a home race.

However, they haven’t won at the track since 2019 with McLaren and Red Bull the most recent victors.

Those two manufacturers should be battling it out for the win once again but as Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo will attest to, surprise results are possible at Monza.

The atmosphere among the Tifosi would be nearly impossible to match on Sunday should Leclerc or Sainz somehow make their way onto the top step of the podium.