- Oscar Piastri angered by grid drop during qualification
- Aussie was ruled to have exceeded track limits
- Piastri called the decision ’embarrassing’ for F1
Australian F1 star Oscar Piastri says his drop from third to seventh on the starting grid for the Austrian GP for exceeding track limits is ’embarrassing’ for the sport.
Piastri set the third quickest time during qualifying on Sunday, but will now start in seventh after Race Control ruled he had transgressed the track limits by the barest of margins.
The usually mild-mannered Piastri was extremely unimpressed with the decision.
‘For me, it’s embarrassing,’ Piastri told Sky Sports.
‘We do all this work with track limits, put gravel in places and I didn’t even go off the track, I stayed on the track.
‘It was probably my best turn six and it gets deleted.
‘I don’t know why they’ve spent hundreds of thousands or millions trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off.
‘There’s no reason this corner should be an issue for track limits, especially when you stay on the track like I did. Or not in the gravel.
Oscar Piastri (pictured) says his drop from third to seventh on the grid for the Austrian GP for exceeding track limits is ’embarrassing’ for F1
Race Control ruled Piastri had transgressed the track limits by the barest of margins
‘I think it’s embarrassing that you see us pushing right to the limit of what we can do and if I am 1 centimetre more I’m in the gravel.’
Commentator Martin Brundle said it was a ‘cruel’ ruiling.
‘He didn’t really touch the gravel. It’s always deceptive from onboard, but that’s a cruel call there for Piastri,’ he said.
‘Normally if you’re breaching track limits there, you’re in the gravel.’
McLaren were also not happy with the outcome and lodged a protest, but it was rejected.
‘A decision of the stewards is not open to protest,’ stewards said in a statement.
The Australian star will start in seventh position for the Austrian GP
‘Additionally, the protest does not meet several of the required criteria for the admissibility of a protest … the stewards therefore reject the protest as it is inadmissible.’
The Aussie’s teammate, Lando Norris, qualified second position on the grid and will start the race alongside world champion Max Verstappen.
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