Piastri: The driver does not control the power unit's operation.

      At the FIA press conference before the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was asked to what extent drivers can influence the performance of the power unit and how this affects lap times.

      The Australian explained that at some tracks, the influence of software on the power unit's operation is so great that drivers can do almost nothing about it and sometimes feel like passengers behind the wheel.

      Oscar Piastri: "Even with the previous generation of hybrid engines, a lot depended on the software, algorithms, and, to some extent, artificial intelligence. When I came into Formula 1, the power units were already very well developed, and the consequences of even small errors in operation were much less noticeable since the electric part accounted for only a small percentage of the total power.

      Now, however, it provides almost half of the total power, so any little thing, any deviation in the system's operation has a huge impact, especially at tracks like Spa.

      We can hardly influence how electrical energy is distributed. Yes, you can press the extra power button, but it is primarily intended for overtaking, not for qualifying. So at Spa, when there were such differences in power that you could not influence at all, it was frustrating. But I am sure that over time the situation will improve.

      I don’t think the problem will ever completely disappear, but as manufacturers better understand the characteristics of these power units and the regulatory limitations regarding software, the situation should improve."

      In response to the question of whether he feels like a passenger behind the wheel of a car controlled by artificial intelligence during the learning stage, Oscar said: "Sometimes yes. At tracks like Spa or Silverstone, the problem is more pronounced. In Hungary, I hardly expect such difficulties since the straights are much shorter.

      Even if the differences remain, their impact will be much less. However, the very idea of driving a car that effectively loses half its power even before the end of the straight sometimes seems very strange.

      At Spa, for example, we went through a significant part of the second sector without any assistance from the electric part of the power unit, relying solely on the internal combustion engine. It’s an unusual feeling in itself – in some corners, you have one power level, in others, a completely different one.

      I think the stage at Spa was particularly unpleasant not only for me but for many other drivers because small differences in software and power unit performance seriously affected lap times.

      At the same time, in the leading group, the difference between the top four positions was only about nine hundredths of a second, while many drivers could lose much more than that due to factors they could not influence at all."