Oscar Piastri admitted that his lap 20 dive on Lando Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix "was a bit risky". Nevertheless, the Australian was happy with his overall performance.
The current Championship leader looked like the slower of the two McLaren drivers going into the race. Piastri's best time in Qualifying on Saturday was over half a second behind that of teammate and pole sitter Norris.
In the Grand Prix itself, Piastri did well to sneak past the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc around the outside of Turn 1 on the opening lap. He then remained close to the gearbox of Norris in the opening phase, sticking within DRS range for 20 laps.
In fact, the Australian briefly snatched the lead of the race from his McLaren teammate into Turn 3 on lap 11, but Norris was able to reclaim P1 with the aid of DRS into the next braking zone at Turn 4 on the same tour.
When You Try Your Best But You Don't Succeed
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 immediately after the Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, Piastri recalled what he described as his best chance to win the race on lap 11.
He said: "With the DRS here, it's very difficult to know when to go and when not to go. I felt like the best opportunity for me was into Turn 3.
"Maybe I should have waited one more straight into Turn 4, but it's very difficult to know in the moment.
"I tried my best, so that's all I can ask for," stated Piastri.
The Australian driver hinted to the belief that he was the quickest driver on track in Austria, even more so than his teammate who won the Grand Prix.
When asked if he thought he was the fastest driver on circuit, Piastri added: "I think the pace was very strong for me today. I don't know, with the blue flags, dirty air, DRS, slower pitstop.
"It's difficult to know what the true pace is, but I think it was very encouraging. Encouraging that I could claw my way back in a little bit towards the end. Even if it's not a win, a lot of positives from today," admitted the Aussie.
Is Verstappen Still Fighting For The Title?
On lap 20 of the race, Piastri attempted to dive up the inside of Norris once again. This time, he locked up his front left tyre and narrowly avoided clattering into the rear of his McLaren teammate.
His race engineer, Tom Stallard, promptly warned him to avoid such moves in the future.
When asked about this incident, Piastri admitted that he was definitely in the wrong.
Read Also: Norris explains 'very difficult situation' with Piastri in Austria GP
He continued: "I think that was a fair comment.
"I knew that was a bit risky when it happened, so I think that's fair."
Finally, Piastri was asked about his opinion on Verstappen's chances at a fifth consecutive Drivers' Championship. The 24-year-old responded by claiming that if he and McLaren show as much domination as they did in Austria, it would be hard for Verstappen to close the gap to him and Norris at the head of the Standings.
He concluded: "I won't count him out, but I think our pace this weekend has been good, so if we can continue that, that's going to be making life easier for us."
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