Oscar Piastri’s puncture on lap 41 in Singapore GP forced a second pit stop, a mishap that paradoxically enabled him to leap over Lewis Hamilton into fifth place on the final lap.
Virtual safety car creates a timing gap
At lap 39 the virtual safety car was deployed when Lance Stroll retired with a clutch fault. Hamilton, running with the oldest worn‑soft tyres, elected to stay out. Piastri, on medium‑tyre rubber 15 laps younger than Hamilton’s, was already delayed by a slow puncture and stopped again two laps later.
After rejoining on newer soft compound, Piastri trailed Hamilton by 37 seconds but was two laps faster on the same rubber. The distance shrank dramatically in the penultimate lap, leaving Piastri within a single second of Hamilton before the closing lap.
McLaren’s reflection and the lingering silver lining
McLaren’s Andrea Stella called the puncture “unusual” and said the team would investigate with Pirelli, noting the incident could have been costly in a closer race. Piastri acknowledged the disappointment of the damage but shrugged: the adverse event “probably helped” by setting the pace to catch Hamilton.
The Australian’s 13th consecutive race without a podium marks the longest dry spell since his rookie season, even as he gathers 28 top‑three finishes from 57 starts.
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