McLaren’s Oscar Piastri claimed “you’ll get eaten alive” for mistakes in Formula 1 as he revealed where his final lap went wrong in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Piastri was in the hunt for pole position with team-mate Lando Norris, but ultimately fell two-tenths short.
That left the Australian with a consolation prize of second on the grid for Sunday’s race.
Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, Piastri explained how there’s no margin for error in the fight for pole in the uber-competitive F1 pecking order.
“Yeah, it wasn’t the best final lap,” Piastri rued.
“There’s a couple of corners that I definitely would like to have again. But, you know, I’ll take the front row.
“I knew that there was a couple of places immediately where I left a bit on the table.
“That’s how it is at the top end of the sport. You can’t leave anything there because you’ll get eaten alive and I unfortunately did that today.
“That’s why I’m not on pole. So, yeah, probably wish I had that one again.”
Turn 1 track limits impacted Piastri’s qualifying run in Abu Dhabi
Piastri’s initial run in the Q3 top-10 shootout was initially deleted for a track limits breach at Turn 1 of the Yas Marina Circuit.
Luckily for the Australian, the lap was reinstated as he exited the pits for his final run.
Asked if the uncertainty affected his minset going into his final time attack, Piastri said “It didn’t help, but I knew starting the lap or even leaving the pits that that lap was at least on the board again.
“But I knew that I would need more to keep at least that position, or obviously, I want to go for pole. So I knew I needed more anyway. And I found a bit more, just not quite enough.
“So yeah, it was a slightly stressful few minutes. I didn’t really dwell on it too much but I did think I was in.
“Clearly it was so close that they’ve probably given me the benefit of the doubt, but yeah it wasn’t exactly ideal.”
As it transpired, Piastri left more margin at Turn 1 on his final run, which he revealed wsasn’t deliberate and possible one of the instances that cost him pole position.
“I didn’t have to take more margin, but I did by accident,” he explained.
“I lost a decent amount of time through Turn 1, which was a shame.
“But I obviously had in mind that even though the lap got given back, I obviously knew it was incredibly close.
“I probably gave a little bit more margin than I wanted to. So that was a bit of a shame.
“If it hadn’t have been taken away, then given back, maybe I would have been a little bit more aggressive through there.
“But, you know, that’s how it is. It’s the same rules for everybody. So, yep, I’ll just take P2.”
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