Australian young gun Oscar Piastri has blotted his perfect F1 qualifying record at the United States Grand Prix
It is not often in Formula One that going too fast costs you a qualifying spot, but that is exactly what has happened to Aussie young gun Oscar Piastri.
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Oscar Piastri blotted his perfect qualifying record when he was eliminated from the first stage of sprint qualifying at the United States Grand Prix – then blamed himself for going “too fast.”
The Aussie F1 ace had made it through to the third and final stage of every qualifying session in 2024 – 18 regular races and the first three sprints – before ruining his record with an early wipe-out in Miami.
Piastri looked like he had made it safely through the first qualifying session when he clocked the seventh fastest time only to be told his best lap didn’t count because he exceeded track limits when he ran his McLaren wide on the penultimate corner.
His next fastest lap was only good enough for 16th, meaning he’ll have a big job in front of him getting in the points in Sunday morning’s 19-lap dash.
“Most of the lap was good. I made a few mistakes in the last sector and obviously the second-last corner, I just tried to go a bit too fast and this is the result.
“It’s a shame, but if there’s one good thing about sprint weekends it’s that we have another shot.”
Although he faces a tough job getting any points from the sprint race, a fresh qualifying session will be held to decide the grid for Monday morning’s Grand Prix.
Championship leader Max Verstappen claimed pole for the sprint ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third and was joined on the second row by Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris.
Currently fourth in the driver’s title standings, Piastri has been in great form over the past few months, recording two wins and five podiums from his last six outings to help McLaren take the lead in the constructor’s championship before this bump on the road.
“Maybe not quite as strong as what it has in the last few races, but I don’t think that’s because we’re weaker, I think the others seem a little bit stronger maybe,” Piastri explained. “So let’s see.
“I’m sure we’re still well and truly in the fight. It’s certainly not a case of we’re miles behind, but it’s maybe a little bit more difficult for us than a few of the other weekends.
“It’s going to be tough, definitely, to get to the points from where we are, but we’ll try and see what we can do.”
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Originally published as Australian young gun Oscar Piastri has blotted his perfect F1 qualifying record at the United States Grand Prix
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