Oscar Piastri recently shared details about his racing with a broken rib.
He stated that the demanding Formula 1 calendar played a significant role in his decision to push through a broken rib. He disclosed on social media during the F1 summer break that he’d been racing with the injury, which was discovered through an x-ray on July 8, the day after the British Grand Prix.
This injury was a secret until Piastri revealed it online, meaning he was battling the pain when he secured his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary.
“The scan was done the day after Silverstone, but the rib was definitely broken before then,” Piastri acknowledged.
The British Grand Prix was part of a three-race stint that started in Spain and included the Austrian GP. After this, the drivers only had one week off before back-to-back races in Hungary and Belgium, making it five races in six weeks leading up to the summer break. This hectic schedule, along with an uncomfortable seat, likely contributed to Piastri’s injury.
“You could say the car had too much downforce,” Piastri joked when asked about the cause of the injury. “But really, it was just from driving.”
He explained that the seat was molded at the start of the season, and sometimes it isn’t a perfect fit. While some tracks don’t highlight these issues, the combination of challenging circuits like Barcelona, Austria, and Silverstone eventually led to the injury.
“Just a bit of a pressure point that eventually my rib couldn’t handle,” Piastri added. “But it’s all good now. We changed the seat and fixed it right away.”
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Piastri isn’t entirely sure if the injury happened in Silverstone or at the Red Bull Ring, though he suspects the latter. He admitted that the British Grand Prix weekend was particularly tough, but adjustments made for Hungary improved his condition in the car.
“It definitely started around Austria,” Piastri said when asked where the injury might have occurred. “It was probably aggravated in Barcelona, and by Austria, it was pretty painful. Silverstone was tough, but we made some changes, and it got better, even while I was still driving.”
Piastri noted that the adjustments made to his seat significantly alleviated the pain, even though his rib was still healing. He felt the difference during the races in Budapest and Spa, where the injury didn’t worsen but actually started to heal.
With the break in the season, Piastri is heading into the Dutch GP fully recovered. McLaren, his team, is also bringing an upgrade package to the race as they continue their pursuit of Red Bull Racing in the constructors’ championship.
Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate, mentioned that McLaren hasn’t had a significant upgrade since Miami. Although they’ve made minor improvements, they’ve been cautious not to rush anything that might not work. Now, with patience paying off, they’re ready to see the results on track.
