Source – Total motorsports
Oscar Piastri’s final lap time in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix was removed, and McLaren has protested the qualifying result.
McLaren has lodged an official protest against the qualifying results for the Austrian Grand Prix, following the deletion of Oscar Piastri’s final push lap due to a track limits violation. The Australian driver, who initially secured third on the grid, saw his position drop to seventh after running wide at Turn 6 in Q3.
Piastri was visibly frustrated after the session, stating, “For me, it is embarrassing, we do all this work on track limits, put gravel in places and I didn’t even go off the track, I stayed on the track.” This prompted McLaren team principal Andrea Stella to visit the stewards, seeking clarity on the decision and pushing to have Piastri’s lap reinstated.
“We have sought clarification,” Stella told the media. “In particular, we wanted to look at the evidence whereby the car was beyond the track limits beyond any reasonable doubt. I cannot say that the beyond reasonable doubt is satisfied. There’s a couple of principles: one is that the system used needs to have adequate resolution, and the second is that the methodology used for one car needs to be applicable to all cars.”
Stella emphasized McLaren’s usual support for the FIA and acknowledged the efforts of all involved, but expressed that in this instance, the evidence did not conclusively show Piastri’s car was out of bounds. “We are normally very supportive of the FIA, we always recognize that everyone is trying their best, but in this case, we couldn’t agree that the car is beyond the track limit beyond any reasonable doubt and satisfying the two conditions I said before, so the discussion is still ongoing.”
A representative from McLaren was summoned to meet with the stewards at 19:35 local time, indicating that the team is actively pursuing a resolution to what they perceive as an unjust penalty. This protest adds an extra layer of intrigue to the weekend’s events, as fans and teams alike await the final decision on Piastri’s qualifying result.
