Oscar Piastri frustrated after Pierre Gasly’s run-off ruins his chance of pole in Austria
Oscar Piastri was frustrated by Pierre Gasly's spin at the end of Q3, which cost him a chance of pole in Austria.
Oscar Piastri saw his last qualifying attempt for the Austrian Grand Prix compromised by Pierre Gasly’s spin in the final moments of the session, preventing him from completing his fast lap.
A frustrating third place for the Australian.
The Australian will start from third place on the grid on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring, having been unable to complete his final flying lap.
Positioned behind Charles Leclerc after the first attempts, Oscar Piastri was several tenths behind his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.
But Pierre Gasly’s spin in the last corner caused yellow flags, thus ruining Oscar Piastri’s attempt. In the end, the gap between the two McLarens is 0.5 seconds, with Charles Leclerc slotting in between them.
« The problem is that I couldn’t even start my second lap, » explained Piastri. « Gasly spun at the last corner, so I couldn’t even start my attempt. Lando has been very fast all weekend, so it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we definitely had the pace to be on the front row. »
« It’s always a shame not to even have the opportunity, but we can still have a good race from this position.
Oscar Piastri ready to fight in the race
Oscar Piastri currently leads Lando Norris by 22 points in the drivers’ standings, ahead of Sunday’s race.
If he widened the gap after the last race in Montreal, it was mainly due to his teammate’s mistakes, rather than a genuine advantage in pure pace.
McLaren recently introduced a new front suspension, used by Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri chose not to adopt it, considering it simply different rather than better in performance.
The superiority of Norris in pure pace this weekend is therefore a concern for Piastri, who will likely have to overtake Leclerc from the start to have a chance at victory.
« Yes, clearly. I think our pace this weekend was very strong, » he added. « The pace of the Ferraris was also good, which was a bit of a surprise. But I think we will have opportunities tomorrow. I’m not planning to finish third, that’s for sure », he concluded.
