Left alone with his thoughts – relatively alone, given the hovering TV cameras and a worldwide audience awaiting his immediate verbal download of the one that got away – Oscar Piastri kept his distance and his counsel.
There was nothing to say, but ample time to think.
As the Australian Formula 1 driver waited for the post-race podium ceremony after finishing second in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 24-year-old’s mind would have wandered as his mouth stayed shut.
How could he have led the world championship after 15 of the 24 rounds and still fallen short? How could the best season for an Australian driver since Alan Jones won his sole world title 45 years previously have ended with him in third place in the standings? And what effect did being asked to cede a position to teammate Lando Norris at the Italian Grand Prix in September change what happened next? That moment, when McLaren botched the British driver’s pit stop, gained Norris three championship points. He eventually secured the title by two.
How will that effect what happens internally at McLaren in the future?
For all Piastri’s misfortune and self-inflicted wounds this season – and there were many after he squandered a 34-point championship lead after 15 rounds to fall 13 points short – Monza will be the one that sticks in his craw when he has time to decompress from a campaign that fast-tracked the Melburnian from rising star to title contender.