“Intense,” Oscar Piastri Exhausted over Failed Chase Against Lando Norris at Austrian GP

Oscar Piastri admitted that he had a hard time staying close to his teammate Lando Norris at the Austrian GP.

“Intense,” Oscar Piastri Exhausted over Failed Chase Against Lando Norris at Austrian GP

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri (via F1)

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris battled it out for victory at the Austrian GP. The Australian driver was on the back foot against his more experienced teammate throughout the weekend, as he failed to make it to the front row on Saturday. During the main race, Piastri did get quite close to toppling Norris from the race lead. Unfortunately, it was not enough. The 24-year-old opened up on his second-place finish after a tiring day in the cockpit.

Piastri quickly overtook Charles Leclerc for second place at the race start. The 24-year-old then spent the entirety of his race behind Lando Norris. The Australian driver was not far behind his teammate, but simply not close enough to make a move. In the final ten laps, the gap between the two drivers narrowed to just under two seconds.

This opened up the opportunity for Oscar Piastri to finally get closer and overtake Norris. However, despite the best efforts of the Australian driver, he could simply not make a move. Albeit traffic from backmarkers made things more tricky in the final few laps. Ultimately, Piastri had to cross the finish line in second place.

The 24-year-old confessed that the race was quite intense. Oscar Piastri hoped that his efforts put on a good show for fans in attendance, as well as viewers back home. The Australian driver admitted that he was doing some hard work to stay right behind his teammate. Piastri went as far as claiming that he gave it his everything, but simply could not make a move. He hinted that dirty air became a factor in his struggles to catch-up to Norris, as cleaner air might’ve made him quicker on-track.

Intense. I hope it was good watching, as it was pretty hard work inside the car. I tried my absolute best, probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead. A good battle, probably pushed the limits a little far. Close, but not quite enough.

Oscar Piastri said post-race

Oscar Piastri laments Austrian GP defeat to Lando Norris

The two McLaren drivers are in a close contest for the world title this season. Max Verstappen’s unfortunate DNF this race further solidifies Piastri and Norris as the two main contenders. While the Australian driver has had an edge over the 25-year-old this season so far. Lando Norris’ victory has helped him reduce the points deficit to just 15 points.

Oscar Piastri (via Alamy)
Oscar Piastri (via Alamy)

Oscar Piastri made it clear that he felt that victory should’ve been possible this weekend. The Australian driver recalled that he could’ve had a better Qualifying on Saturday if the session was not interrupted by yellow flags. The Australian driver insisted that he had good pace the entire time at the Red Bull Ring, signaling his disappointment.

I thought it was possible. Qualifying yesterday was unfortunate with the yellow flags, I thought the pace was good all weekend.

Oscar Piastri added

The Austrian GP marks the third win of the season for Lando Norris. On the other hand, Oscar Piastri has bagged five victories. Yet, the Australian driver has no time to lose. Another win for Norris will put the Briton in striking distance for the championship lead. Thus, Piastri must get back to the top step of the podium next weekend at Silverstone.

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