McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has labelled the track limits infraction which cost him third place on the grid for tomorrow’s Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix as “embarrassing”.
Piastri managed to back up an encouraging tour to second in the earlier Sprint race as he qualified in third with his best time, 0.068s behind team-mate Lando Norris.
However, the Australian has been demoted back down to seventh as the FIA stewards deemed that he had violated track limits through the fast-left-hander at Turn 6.
The topic proved to be a contentious discussion point at the Red Bull Ring last term as the stewards investigated more than 1200 infringements throughout that race.
But while gravel traps and AI have now been brought in to manage the situation better at the last two corners, Piastri isn’t impressed other turns have been neglected.
“For me, it’s embarrassing,” Piastri said. “We do all this work for track limits, put gravel in places, and I mean, I didn’t even go off the track.
“I stayed on the track and, you know, probably my best Turn 6 and it gets deleted.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know why they’ve spent hundreds of thousands, if not millions, trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off.
“But anyway, everyone else kept it in the track. I didn’t. Yeah, that’s how it goes.”
Piastri has contended that it’s nonsensical that gravel that aligns on the outside of the track between Turns 6 and 7 isn’t used as the barometer to assess track limits.
“Yeah, I mean, you know, for me, that was probably the best Turn 6 I took,” he reiterated. “I was right to the limit of the track. I think that’s what everyone wants to see.
“Again, we’ve spent so much effort trying to get rid of these problems.
“You know, there is 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.
“So, yeah, for me, it’s obviously being the only one that’s had that happen to me. I’m probably more vocal about it right now, but I think it’s embarrassing that you see us pushing right to the limit of what we can do and, you know, if I’m one centimetre more, I’m in the gravel and completely in my lap anyway. And it gets deleted.”
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