Oscar Piastri finished in third place at the Qatar Grand Prix, with the Australian taking the spot behind Verstappen and Leclerc.
Oscar Piastri returned to the podium, finishing third at the Qatar Grand Prix, behind Verstappen and Leclerc. This position was crucial in the Constructors’ Championship for McLaren, who, due to the excessive penalty imposed on Lando Norris, lost ten points to Ferrari. The gap between the two teams is now only 21 points, with just one race remaining.
At the end of the race, Piastri spoke to the microphones, analyzing his performance. Here are the words of the McLaren driver: “It was a tough race. The cars ahead had a very similar pace, and it was really hard to get into the DRS zone and then try to overtake. I had some good battles with Charles, it’s nice to finish on the podium, but it’s not the result we were hoping for.”
The Australian then stated: “I don’t really understand why they penalized Lando, but it was a heavy penalty. It will definitely be exciting until the end of the year, and we hope to be strong in the final race, but we have to give it our all to close the deal. This year, the track was faster, but the fact that the car wasn’t like a sauna made things easier. The track is amazing, probably the most fun of the entire season, and I really enjoyed it, but not enough to be happy with the result.”
Photo: X McLaren F1 Team