Piastri: Right now, the most important thing is that the rider has talent.

      Oscar Piastri won the Bahrain Grand Prix, and none of the rivals could challenge him, but, according to the Australian driver, he and Lando Norris will be fighting for the title while McLaren has the fastest car in the championship.

      Question: Oscar, you had a great race, and you had everything under control from start to finish. How satisfied are you with the results of this Grand Prix?Oscar Piastri: I am very pleased. It was a great weekend, probably with the exception of the first Friday practice, when everyone was terribly uncomfortable. But starting from the second training session, we were very confident.

      I was pleased with the results of yesterday's qualifying, and I think it helped me a lot in Sunday's race. All in all, I'm very happy with how the weekend turned out, and I'm happy to have another win.

      Q: Did your team choose the right tactics: tell us how the decision was made to start on soft tyres?Oscar Piastri: We can say that we foresaw that most of them would start on just such tires. You see, George Russell had only one fresh set of Medium and one Hard, and most of the cars around us on the starting field had soft tires, and we were all on equal terms.

      So we considered starting on such tires to be the best option, and I think it was the right choice. I'm happy with how we handled everything: we had a good pace, which allowed us to confidently control the course of the race, and all the decisions we made were also correct.

      Question: Probably the only problem was the malfunction of the drinking water supply system: What happened to her? Could you even use it?Oscar Piastri: No, she didn't work. I don't know what happened to her. It was still working on the way to the starting field, but as soon as the race started, the water stopped flowing through the tube. In general, the situation is not ideal, but Bahrain is not the hardest race of the season in terms of physical exertion.

      If something like this happens next week, the consequences will be much more dramatic, but we will definitely fix this malfunction.

      Q: You are the first one who has managed to score two wins this season. How would you rate the capabilities of your car and your approach to piloting?Oscar Piastri: I think things are going well with both. So far, I'm happy with the way I'm driving this season, although maybe not all the results were as I would have liked. But this weekend, the result definitely meets my wishes.

      I'm proud of the way I work, and I'm very proud of the team's work. Of course, we have a great car. There are still times in her behavior when she doesn't obey, but mostly it's very comfortable to drive and she's very fast.

      In the past, this track has not been particularly supportive of McLaren – it is all the more important that we have achieved such good results this weekend. This is the first victory and the first podium for our team at the Bahrain Grand Prix. McLaren has had a difficult period in the past, and it is clear that our Bahraini shareholders have made every effort to help the team solve those problems.

      Of course, we finished last season successfully, but this is the first time we have achieved success on this track, which we consider to be our home track. This is an incredibly important and well-deserved result.

      Question: There is a very high level of competition in modern Formula 1, and there are no more drivers in the teams who pay for the opportunity to compete in this championship. Do you think talent is really appreciated in Formula 1 now?Oscar Piastri: I think that compared to previous generations, the most important thing now is for a racer to have talent. This was not always the case in the past. But I think there are still other factors at work. To get into Formula 1, when you're competing in the youth series, you still need to be in the right place at the right time, you know?

      In the end, you have to take someone else's place. And the participants of the championship have become very young now, and it is difficult to get here. But I repeat, right now you can get into Formula 1 almost exclusively through talent alone.

      I also think that the F1 teams are supporting the drivers more now than ever in the past. In addition, budget constraints also play a role, because there are practically no teams left that would have to look for financial resources for development, and they no longer need to rely on the money that the riders bring. That's why I think things are going great in our sport right now.

      Question: Your team-mate is in the lead in the individual competition, but you are only three points behind him. Can this be considered the beginning of a really intense rivalry between you?Oscar Piastri: To be honest, I thought it all started back in Melbourne. Of course, it's still very early in the championship, but we have great cars that basically allowed us to do a good job.  

      I want to say that we are in the positions that we should be in. I think the rivalry will be intense, but there will be other contenders for the title. There is no single driver who wins regularly, every weekend. It makes life difficult for everyone who is fighting for the title, but it will definitely be a difficult year.

      But for now, McLaren has the best cars, in my opinion, Lando and I will be the ones arguing for the wins.