Oscar Piastri has stated that he is not “kicking myself” despite missing out on pole position at Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
McLaren entered the opening qualifying session of 2025 billed as the side to beat and delivered on that tag as it secured a front row lockout at the Albert Park Circuit.
However, the Woking-based squad’s drivers almost opened the door to the team’s rivals as mistakes on their initial tours in Q3 had them languishing fourth and 10th.
Piastri ran deep at the penultimate corner on his opening attempt in the top-10 shootout, while Norris exceeded track limits at Turn 4 and had his lap time invalidated.
Norris attributed his error to McLaren’s MCL39 car being more challenging to drive when the fuel load is lightened – an assessment his team-mate has concurred with.
“Yeah, I went a bit deep into Turn 11,” Piastri recalled to media including Motorsport Week.
“With these tyres, with the hot temperature, as soon as you slide them a little bit or get them dirty, they drop off a lot.
“I struggled a lot with the last sector and then went off at the second-last corner. That’s the fine line around here.
“I think that’s been a little bit of a struggle with our car so far – it’s been quick, but it bites at times.
“I’m pretty happy with the job I did, and I’ll go back and see where it could have been a little bit better.”
Piastri not downbeat by missed pole chance
Piastri recovered on his second timed run in Q3, however, to produce a lap that was more than four-tenths quicker than the original benchmark from Max Verstappen.
But Piastri becoming the debut Australian driver to claim an F1 pole on home soil was not to be as team-mate Norris usurped him right at the death to claim top spot.
“It was pretty good. I was happy with it,” Piastri reviewed.
“This weekend I’ve been happy with the laps we’ve been putting in and how I have been executing them apart from the first lap of Q3.
“But apart from that, I’ve been happy with how I’ve driven.
“I think the last lap, there’s nothing I’m majorly kicking myself about. The gap is very tight, obviously, and I just needed that little bit more.”
Piastri denied he was downbeat at having come up 0.084 seconds short, though, citing that he was pleased with his execution amid his troubles over one lap in 2024.
“I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed because I feel like I did a job I’m happy with,” he added.
“If I was sitting here thinking, ‘I had another two-tenths in hand, and I blew it’, then I’d be pretty upset.
“But I feel like I’ve executed well this weekend. That’s all I can ask of myself.
“There are always things to improve and do better, and I’ll try to look at those, but ultimately, I’m happy with how I’ve driven this weekend.”
Piastri using home support as motivation
Piastri expressed that McLaren harbours optimism it can convert its starting grid advantage in tomorrow’s race, providing that the expected rain doesn’t wreak havoc.
Asked to give his take on McLaren’s race pace, Piastri said: “Pretty happy. Yesterday felt quite good. If it’s dry, then I think we’re in a good place.
“If it’s wet, it’s very difficult to tell. There are a lot of places that can catch you out here.
“There are a few corners that in the dry are not corners, that are very much corners in the rain. It becomes a fair bit trickier.
“And then you’ve got white lines everywhere, with it obviously being a road circuit. We’re pretty confident for tomorrow.”
Piastri retorted the notion that the chance to become the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1980 to win their home race has enlarged the pressure on his shoulders.
“In terms of pressure, honestly, I said in the lead-up that I was using it as support and not pressure, and that’s genuinely been the case,” he said.
“Of course, you want to start the season well and do well at home, those things are obvious, but I think I’ve done a good job of being strong and not letting that get in my head.
“I’m happy with how I’ve approached the weekend, how I’ve driven, and the support has been really special. The expectation is very minor compared to the support.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris pips Oscar Piastri as McLaren takes front row lockout in Australia
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