The Alonso-style F1 trick that highlights Piastri’s star qualities

One of the quirks of Formula 1’s sprint race weekends is that drivers get to run around on the race track on a Saturday knowing exactly where they will be starting the grand prix from on Sunday.

It is an element that Fernando Alonso in particular has used to his advantage in ensuring that this opportunity to gain an edge is not missed. This was something that came home to me at the Austrian Grand Prix last year as I sat working in the media centre during Saturday’s morning’s then second free practice session, with my desk overlooking the run out of the final corner.

My line of sight meant that cars on the normal racing line down to the first turn would disappear from my vision as they ran along the start-finish line. Except there was one car that kept flashing past and staying in view because it wasn’t sticking to the racing line. Instead, it kept deliberately darting to the right and moving closer to the pitwall each time it came through.

After finally looking up to see what was going on, I worked out it was Alonso in his Alpine, and it was crystal clear what game he was playing. The dive to the right was to run his car over his slot for that afternoon’s sprint race – knowing full well that cleaning his grid position would help offer up some extra grip for the start. (Amusingly, he also tried to do a post-session practice start from his exact grid slot but got shuffled too far down the order as cars came through so couldn’t manage it).

I asked him last year about pulling off little tricks like this, and he smiled as he offered a fascinating answer that says much about the competitive force that drives him to do things like this.

PLUS: The Saturday morning tricks that expose Alonso's true mindset

“Yeah, I mean, I'm that type of guy,” he said. “I need to make 100% of my thing, and I need to kill whatever strengths other people have. But this I do in everything I practice, when I play anything.

Alonso's grid cleaning trick in FP2 at last year's Austrian GP didn't go unnoticed

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“I used to play tennis, and when I play with someone good, I would put the ball very high. Because, like this, you stop the rhythm of them because they are used to hitting the ball very hard. Playing with professionals, the ball arrives very strong for them, so they are used to that kind of shot.

“But when you put the ball high, they make mistakes, because the ball arrives very soft. So, I can play better tennis when putting the ball high. Putting the ball high is my only chance to beat them. So, I do that automatically. It's not only on racing I just need to destroy the strengths of the others and try to maximise mine.”

While Alonso’s efforts that day in Austria last year ultimately proved futile, thanks to an Alpine engine failure, his grid box cleaning tactic is something that he has continued to unleash when the opportunity is needed. In Qatar last weekend, for example, you could see Alonso running across his grid slot on Saturday, even during the safety car periods in the sprint – knowing full well that every bit of dirt he could get off the track would help him off the line in the races.

"You can trust that what he's saying, he's not adding speculatively anything because he needs to promote himself. He is kind of trustworthy, and calm" Andrea Stella

But eagle-eyed observers will have noticed that Alonso was not the only one using such a tactic in Qatar – because there was someone else doing exactly the same thing. Following Oscar Piastri at the end of his sprint shootout qualifying efforts, he too – shortly after being given approval from his race engineer – darts off the racing line and cleans the grid slot he had for Sunday. It was a smart move considering how dirty the right side of the grid at Losail can be.

The grid cleaning opportunity seems such an obvious thing to do, especially for someone so experienced as Alonso. But for a rookie driver like Piastri, who has not even had a full season under his belt, unleashing these tactics already says an awful lot about the qualities he has brought with him to F1.

Piastri is the epitome of calculated coolness. There have been plenty of times – especially when Lando Norris had got hold of upgrades first – that he could have thrown his toys out of the pram and got himself wound up over things. But instead, he has been completely measured. It is a trait that team boss Andrea Stella has highlighted as being critical to the progress that the Australian has made throughout 2023.

“When you are in a pressurised environment like F1, it becomes very important to be a calm, considerate person,” said Stella recently. “He doesn't have nervous reactions; he doesn't have unnecessary irritation. He doesn't add tension in his comments.

Piastri has quickly impressed his McLaren team enough to earn an extension to his contract until the end of 2026

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

“His comments are a genuine report of what happens with a car, or a genuine report of what happens in a situation that wasn't ideal. But you can trust what he's saying, he's not adding speculatively anything because he needs to promote himself. He is kind of trustworthy and calm.”

It is probably no coincidence either that, at a recent press call in Japan reflecting on extending Piastri’s contract, Stella likened him to a certain very experienced superstar.

“The way he was kind of assessing his own performance, saying: 'This is where I am, this is where I need to improve,' it was matching so well with what we could see from the data, that it was quite impressive,” said Stella about Piastri’s attitude at the beginning of the year.

“These qualities have to do with being able to continuously improve. I'm sure there were a lot of people who were talented, but it didn't lead anywhere because there was no attitude to continuous improvement.

“I think we have really good examples now on the grid, of drivers that can keep being extremely competitive at ages that we didn't think would be obvious, because of an attitude to continuously improve. So, in this sense, I think this one is a similarity with Fernando.”

With his mentality, his driving and his tactics on track in leaving no stone unturned, Piastri is showing he has all the potential needed to be at the very top of F1.

After scoring his first F1 (not GP) win in the Qatar sprint, Piastri is showing all the signs that he is cut out to reach the very top

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images