Hamilton lined up behind team-mate George Russell on the grid and, starting on the soft compound tyre, was able to launch an attack around the outside into turn one.
Unfortunately for the seven-time world champion, he misjudged his move and made contact with Russell after failing to leave him enough room. The contact sent him spinning into the gravel and out of the race, while Russell was forced to pit.
In amongst the lap one melee Piastri was able to make his way through to second place, overtaking both Mercedes drivers in the process and getting an advantage over his team-mate Lando Norris.
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Piastri went on to manage his race perfectly, keeping the now-three-time world champion in his sights and fighting off the advances of Norris to seal his second F1 podium finish, one day after taking his first win.
He made sure to thank Hamilton for his role in the result too. Speaking on the radio after the chequered flag, Piastri said: “Nice assistance from whoever bowled everyone in turn one, thank you!”
The 22-year-old Aussie is now streaking clear of tenth-placed Lance Stroll in the Drivers’ Championship with an immense Qatar Grand Prix weekend taking his total points tally for the season to 83.
Despite looking calm and collected in the cockpit, Piastri was keen to show how tough the race was from his point of view. Speaking after the Qatar GP he said: “I thought you were going to say I got given a five-second penalty! Scared the c*** out of me!
“Very happy. Turn 1 was nice. That was definitely the game plan before the race. Really impressive pace. Definitely the hardest race I’ve had in my life.”
With McLaren’s second consecutive double-podium comes more gains in their fight with Aston Martin. The deficit between the two teams has now closed to just 11 points with five races remaining in 2023.
