McLaren’s Oscar Piastri admitted he had only himself to blame after missing out on a potential victory at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The home favourite was locked in battle with teammate Lando Norris—who went on to win—when he pushed too hard and ran off onto the grass on lap 44 at Albert Park. The mistake not only ended his hopes of a dream victory in front of his home fans but also denied McLaren a likely one-two finish.
“Pretty disappointing,” Piastri admitted after the race. “It felt like for every lap, apart from one, I drove an incredibly strong race, just a shame to not have the result to go with it,”
The 22-year-old was visibly frustrated but accepted full responsibility for the error.
“I don’t have anyone to blame but myself. I was a bit unfortunate to get stuck (in the grass) the way I did. “It was only myself that put me there.”
Despite the costly slip, Piastri’s race pace reaffirmed McLaren’s growing strength, further solidifying them as serious contenders. He managed to recover and finish ninth, securing two points for the team.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed sympathy for Piastri, acknowledging the young driver’s impressive performance despite the setback. “He drove great to get back to P9,” added Brown.
With McLaren showing strong race pace, Piastri will be eager to bounce back in the next round and prove his mistake was just a minor blip in what promises to be a competitive season.
