McLaren boss Andrea Stella has backed Oscar Piastri to bounce back from the crash that ended his Sprint Race at the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
In yet another setback to his title challenge, Piastri crashed out at Turn 2 on Lap 7 in Brazil, mounting the kerb still soaked from earlier rain, sending him careering into the barriers.
Losing eight valuable championship points as he climbed out of his wrecked MCL39, the dejected Australian has an agonising wait to see if McLaren can repair his car for qualifying.
This error is the latest in a string of poor performances that have blighted his second half of the season, with team-mate Norris now nine points clear ahead of Sunday’s race.
Facing the media immediately after the incident, he outlined his plan for bouncing back, but was fully aware of the damage done by the incremental weather in Sao Paulo.
“ I mean, just trying to put this behind [me] I guess,” he said to Sky F1. “We’ll see what weather we have for this afternoon.
“But yeah, obviously there’s a lot more points available on offer tomorrow, so the better job I can do this afternoon of trying to give myself a good starting spot, the better it’ll be.”
Speaking later to F1 TV, Piastri, who has now experienced three incidents that have led to non-scores in five weekends, explained how his race ended in the barriers.
“Yeah [I] just dipped a wheel on the white line or the kerb and around I went. So yeah, silly mistake really. unfortunate mistake. So that’s it.”
Piastri crash gives McLaren conflicting emotions
McLaren Team Principal Stella admitted his conflicted reaction to Norris securing the victory amid concerns over the damage done to Piastri’s car.
“In terms of the Sprint, mixed feelings, mixed feelings because we achieve a victory with Lando,” he admitted.
“We were in a strong position with Oscar, but unfortunately, like I said before, mixed conditions, tricky conditions.
“You put a wheel too far and we saw three cars in a single lap in the same point crashed on the barriers.
“So it’s just an episode. It’s just an episode. Oscar has been fast this weekend, so we look now forward to reorganising, regrouping, repair the car.
“The big points are tomorrow and capitalise on the speed being qualified and then tomorrow with Oscar.
When asked if Piastri will move on from the crash, Stella indicated that his discussions with the team before qualifying will not be a frosty affair, with focus on Sunday’s race.
“Yeah, 100 per cent,” he said. “He’s a very functional mind and that’s certainly the conversation we’re going to have.
“The most important point is that the speed is there.
“If there’s an episode when you put a wheel on a kerb and you lose, it is just an episode. We look forward to the qualifying, we look forward to the race.
“Yeah, obviously the points is the points. That’s a fact. It’s a number. It’s unfortunate that that’s the case, but this is what it is.
“You can only do your best and we have an opportunity to do our best right in a few hours. So that’s our focus.
READ MORE: Lando Norris takes F1 Brazil GP Sprint victory as Oscar Piastri crashes out
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