Oscar Piastri outlines ‘bad news’ preventing McLaren driver’s first Grand Prix win

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Oscar Piastri has opened up on the ‘bad news’ that is stopping the McLaren driver from taking his first Grand Prix win in Formula 1 ahead of the 2024 Hungarian GP.

The 23-year-old is now 34 rounds into his career in the pinnacle of motorsport. But the best Grand Prix results Piastri has secured for McLaren remain his runners-up medals in the 2023 Qatar GP and the 2024 Monaco GP and Austrian GP. He did win the Sprint in Qatar last year.

Fortune even ensured Piastri finished on the podium in Styria this season after Red Bull pilot Max Verstappen crashed with Lando Norris whilst fighting for the Austrian GP victory. Piastri was otherwise due to finish off the podium at the Red Bull Ring but took his fourth rostrum.

Oscar Piastri feels mistakes keep costing the McLaren driver a Grand Prix win

Only in the Monaco GP in May and during the British GP last time out has Piastri featured in the fight for the win this season. The Australian put his MCL38 second on the grid in Monte Carlo but spent the race following Charles Leclerc of Ferrari after the early red flag stoppage.

Mistakes with McLaren’s strategy also put paid to Piastri’s hopes of winning the British GP at Silverstone. The Woking squad left the Melbourne native out an extra lap to prioritise Norris as rain started to hit the circuit. It meant Piastri lost nearly a full pit stop to Norris in one lap.

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McLaren at least salvaged P4 by putting Piastri on hard tyres as Silverstone started to dry to finish the British GP just five seconds from Norris in P3. But the initial error added to Piastri’s issues in recent rounds that the 2021 F2 champion claims are denying him a Grand Prix win.

“I think we are definitely ready for a win,” Piastri said, via quotes by Formule1.NL. “The good news but also the bad news is that there is always something else in the way.

“In Silverstone, we clearly made the wrong choice of tyres. In Imola, we had a problem with traffic during qualifying. And, about qualifying in Austria, we better keep quiet… I think it’s good that it hasn’t been the same mistake or the same error over and over again.”

Oscar Piastri and McLaren must iron out their errors

Piastri qualified P2 at Imola but started the Emilia Romagna GP in fifth place after drawing a three-place grid penalty for impeding Haas pilot Kevin Magnussen in Q1. The Australian was unaware of the Dane approaching him rapidly into Variante Tamburello while on a flying lap.

It meant Piastri was unable to join Norris in fighting Verstappen over a win at Imola while he then spent his race behind Ferrari pair Carlos Sainz and Leclerc. Exceeding track limits in Q3 at the left-handed Turn 6 at the Red Bull Ring also saw Piastri start the Austrian GP from P7.

McLaren unsuccessfully protested the stewards’ decision to delete Piastri’s best lap time for exceeding track limits at the Austrian GP. The 2020 F3 champion was hugely frustrated after the decision having felt his MCL38 remained within the track’s limits next to a big gravel tap.