Oscar Piastri rubbishes rule that cost him third on Austria GP grid

Max Verstappen dominated qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, while Aussie Oscar Piastri fumed over a questionable call.

Oscar Piastri’s fastest lap was chalked off. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

What a difference a few hours can make.

Saturday started with a brief but blockbuster battle between Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for victory in the sprint race.

Red Bull Racing and McLaren had been split by practically nothing in sprint qualifying and their respective performances in race trim appeared to promise the rest of the weekend would be similarly closely fought.

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But this is the Red Bull Ring, and the home team and its star driver aren’t so easily overcome.

Verstappen started qualifying with a remarkable Spielberg streak of six poles in a row dating back to 2021 — both the Styrian and Austrian grands prix — and including sprint poles last year and again this year.

Red Bull’s home race has become the Dutchman’s fortress and some small set-up changes on Saturday afternoon yielded massive results to bolster his authority.

Verstappen has continued his dominance in Austria. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

After beating Norris to sprint pole on Friday thanks largely to one corner and better top speed, on Saturday he was just quicker everywhere — every corner and every straight.

The margin blew out by more than 400 per cent, from 0.093 seconds to 0.404 seconds.

It contrasted starkly with the 0.798 seconds that covered all 20 drivers in Q1, the closest spread in the history of this qualifying format.

“We tried to adjust the car a little bit after the things that we learnt this morning,” Verstappen said. “I think it went well.

“The car felt a lot better for me today. I could really attack the corners a bit more. Every run was just on point. It was very enjoyable out there.”

"On fire"@Max33Verstappen set qualifying alight at the Red Bull Ring 🔥 #F1#AustrianGPpic.twitter.com/ahUmgV7a0E

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2024

It was a different story for Aussie Piastri, who might have been truly worked up for the first time after qualifying.

The Australian is enjoying a return to form after his unusual off weekend in Spain last time out. He qualified third and finished second in the sprint and was on track to at least equal the feat with another third in qualifying for the Grand Prix.

But then that most-hated issue of track limits reared its head.

Last year stewards were forced to grapple with more than 1200 allegations of track limit violations. To avoid that farcical situation, this year the kerbs have been shrunk to less than the width of the cars and have had gravel placed alongside them.

In effect the track becomes self-policing — if a driver runs wide, they’ll be slower for dipping a wheel in the stones.

But all the same Piastri was pinged for running wide exiting turn 6 on the run to turn 7. Replays showed it was extremely marginal at best, but the time was wiped without discussion, dropping him to seventh.

The usually mild-mannered Melburnian was ropeable.

Penny for your thoughts Oscar. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“It’s embarrassing,” he told Sky Sports. “We do all this work for track limits, put gravel in in places, and I didn’t even go off the track; I stayed on the track.

“I don’t know what they spent hundreds of thousands — millions — trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off.

“For me that was probably the best turn 6 I took. I was right at the limit of the track. I think that’s what everyone wants to see.

“We’ve spent so much effort trying to get rid of these problems.

“There is no reason this corner should be an issue for track limits, especially when you stay on the track, like I did, or not in the gravel.

“Obviously being the only one that’s had that happen to me, I’m probably more vocal about it right now.

“But I think it’s embarrassing that you see us pushing right to the limit of what we can do, and if I’m one centimetre more, I’m in the gravel and completely ruin my lap anyway, and it gets deleted.”

McLaren principal Andrea Stella was seen heading to race control after the session for further information, but their protest was dismissed and Piastri will start from seventh.

Piastri was a fraction off track 🤯#F1#AustrianGPpic.twitter.com/lrac2HrS5Z

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2024

There are few examples of deleted lap times being reversed. Norris had his pole time reinstated during sprint qualifying in China, but that had more to do with conditions than a fundamental ruling on track limits.

Sergio Pérez had a deletion reversed at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix after the review of additional footage.

Starting seventh will have a material impact on McLaren’s race. If the team harbours hope of overcoming Verstappen for victory, it will need both drivers in the battle to apply maximum strategic pressure.

Without the in-form Aussie in the fight, the bid for victory against a rejuvenated Verstappen will be that much harder.

After a tough sprint qualifying and short race, Daniel Ricciardo bounced back in the Grand Prix grid-setting session to pick up where he’d left off in the last couple of rounds, leading teammate Yuki Tsunoda as RB’s lead driver.

It wasn’t quite a return to the team’s Canada form, but Ricciardo cracked Q2 and missed on a spot in the top 10 by just 0.015 seconds.

It was everything the VCARB-01 had in it as the team continues troubleshooting where its Spain upgrade has gone wrong.

It also takes the heat off questions about Ricciardo’s future for at least another day.

Speaking on Saturday night, the Aussie said he was proud the team could bounce back from such a sad Friday qualifying to move back towards where it’s belonged for so much of this season.

“We made a lot of progress since yesterday — obviously this time yesterday we were out in SQ1,” he said.

“We’re at least in the fight today, and that’s something we have to be proud about.

“It puts us in a much better position.”

If Ricciardo can convert 11th into a point or two, he’ll be able to consider Austria a tick in his bid for a new contract.

Originally published as Oscar Piastri rubbishes rule that cost him third on Austria GP grid