Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri was left to ponder what could have been after a yellow flag in Q3 caused by Pierre Gasly's late spin denied him the opportunity to challenge for pole position in a tightly contested qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.
The McLaren driver had been building up for a final flyer when Alpine’s Gasly spun at the final corner in the dying seconds of the session, triggering yellow flags and forcing Piastri to back off.
The incident meant Piastri had to settle for third on the grid, behind teammate Lando Norris, who claimed pole, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
“It was the fact I didn’t get to start it that was the problem,” Piastri explained after the session. “I had Gasly spin at the last corner so I didn’t even open my second lap."
The Australian, who had shown strong pace throughout the weekend, believed there was more to come from his McLaren had he been given the chance to complete the lap.
©McLaren
“Lando has been very quick all weekend so it would have been a tough challenge but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row,” he said.
“Always a shame when you don’t even get the chance but we can still have a good race from there.”
Despite missing out on a shot at pole, Piastri remains in a strong position for Sunday’s race. He enters the Grand Prix with a 22-point lead over Norris in the drivers’ championship standings, thanks in part to Norris' costly errors in the previous round in Montreal.
Focus Shifts to Sunday
While Norris has looked more comfortable this weekend in Austria, aided by McLaren’s updated front suspension – a component Piastri has chosen not to run – the Australian is confident that race day will present new opportunities.
Austrian Grand Prix - Qualifying results“Yeah definitely. I think our pace this weekend has been very strong,” he said when asked about his chances for Sunday.
“The Ferrari pace looked good as well which was a bit of a surprise. I think we’ve still got some opportunities tomorrow.
“I am not planning on finishing third that’s for sure.”
But Piastri will need to find a way past Leclerc early on if he is to take the fight to Norris, whose form could pose a long-term threat in the title race.
For now, the focus is firmly on making up lost ground after a qualifying session that ended with more frustration than celebration.
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