Oscar Piastri says capitalizing on early race victories is crucial for championship success, reflecting on Max Verstappen's 2024 title-winning strategy.

Following his Chinese Grand Prix victory, Piastri emphasized the importance of maximizing performance early in the season. He points to Verstappen's dominant start in 2024, where the Dutch driver secured seven wins in the first 10 races, despite only winning twice in the final 14 rounds as McLaren and Ferrari caught up.

"You need to maximize the car that you have every race," Piastri stated. "Verstappen won the championship by capitalizing on the car he had in the first part of the year. You never know when someone's going to find some speed with an upgrade or find something in how they operate the car."

While acknowledging the significance of early success, Piastri maintains a measured approach to the championship. "I'm certainly not thinking about the championship yet. As much of a cliché as it is, I'm focusing on one weekend at a time because ultimately that is how you win a championship."

The Australian driver considers his third career victory particularly satisfying, describing it as his "most complete" weekend after finishing second in the Sprint. He credits the team's ability to optimize the car's performance despite early challenges in Shanghai.

"We started with a car that was quick but pretty tricky at times, and I think we did a good job of trying to tackle that. To come away with this result is a perfect end to the weekend," Piastri concluded.

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