Oscar Piastri has offered an apology to his McLaren team following a tense moment during the Austrian Grand Prix where he came close to colliding with teammate Lando Norris while battling for the lead. Piastri admitted after the race that he felt he had been “pushing the boundaries” in the incident.
The near-collision occurred on lap 20 at Turn Four. Just two weeks prior, the two McLaren drivers had made contact, with Norris misjudging a move and hitting the back of Piastri`s car. This time, Piastri attempted to overtake Norris down the inside but locked his front tires, narrowly avoiding hitting Norris as he turned into the corner.
Despite the scare, both cars emerged without contact. Norris successfully held the lead and went on to win the race, with Piastri finishing right behind him. Norris`s victory reduced Piastri`s lead in the world championship standings to just 15 points.
Shortly after his first pit stop, Piastri received a message from his race engineer, Tom Stallard, warning him about the maneuver: `Feedback from the pit wall, the manoeuvre in Turn Four with the lock up was too marginal. We can`t do that again.`
Speaking on the McLaren team radio immediately after crossing the finish line, a contrite Piastri said: `Sorry for the move in Turn Four. My bad.`
Later, Piastri expanded on his thoughts regarding the team`s instruction, stating, “I mean, I thought it was a fair comment.” He acknowledged that “Locking up and missing the back of your team-mate by not a lot is certainly pushing the boundaries.” Piastri added that he agreed with the sentiment, feeling it wasn`t a “wise decision” to attempt the move again even if he hadn`t been told. He concluded it was “a fair comment and nothing more than that.”
Team Principal Andrea Stella commented on the incident to Sky Sports F1, confirming they advised Piastri on the Turn Four maneuver, which Piastri accepted. Stella expressed pride in Piastri`s immediate apology after the race for going “a little too far,” noting that while it`s “Formula 1, he`s racing hard,” it was ultimately “a good day.”
McLaren “Very Proud” of Drivers After Close Battle
The two dominant McLaren drivers had already engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle over several corners nine laps earlier. Piastri briefly took the lead into Turn Three before Norris immediately retook the position before the next corner.
Stella expressed that the team was “very happy, very proud of how they handled the situation” on track. He described the moments as “stressful” but emphasized their trust in both Oscar and Lando, stating the pit wall aimed to “stay as chilled as possible, analyse rationally what is going [on].” Stella highlighted that the team`s view was that both drivers should have the opportunity to win the race, provided they did so cleanly as they did. He called it a “great spectacle for Formula 1,” entertaining for the fans, and said they “look forward to more races like this,” despite the potential “nervousness on the pit wall,” as “that`s what we`re here for.”
Piastri also commented on the battle, noting that based on past races, including last season and earlier this year, “I think we both knew what to expect.” He called it a “tough battle” that was “close at some points,” admitting he was “probably pushing the limits a bit much from my side once or twice.” However, he added that “we`re fighting for race wins in Formula 1,” which is inherently “pretty tough work and pretty hard.” Piastri found it an “entertaining race,” especially the “pretty intense” first 20 laps before the first pit stop, calling it a “good battle.”
Marcus Prine