“Just not my day” – F1 title leader Piastri sees Austrian GP qualifying lap ruined

Oscar Piastri was left frustrated after being unable to start his final flying qualifying lap as the Formula 1 championship leader had to settle for third place for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

McLaren had dominated for much of the weekend, with Lando Norris having the edge over Piastri and continuing that trend by storming to pole position. He will start alongside the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, who pipped Piastri to the front row.

That was due to a late yellow flag following a spin for the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, which put paid to any chance Piastri had of improving his time with a final run in Q3.

“It was the fact I didn’t get to start it. That was the problem,” Piastri said of losing the chance to put in another run.

“I had Gasly spin at the last corner, so I didn’t even open my second lap. Lando’s been very quick all weekend, so it would have been a tough challenge.

“But I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row. So it is always a shame when you don’t even get the chance. But we can still have a good race from there. And sometimes it’s just not your day.”

Speaking on Friday, both Piastri and Norris had said they expected the Red Bull of reigning world champion Max Verstappen to be the biggest threat to McLaren taking pole position.

Instead, it emerged the Ferraris, with a floor upgrade, were the ones who got closest with Lewis Hamilton in fourth while Leclerc’s effort was good enough to split the McLarens.

“I think our pace this weekend has looked very strong. I think the Ferrari pace looked good as well, which was a bit of a surprise,” added Piastri.

“But I think we’ve still got some opportunities tomorrow. So I’m not planning on finishing third, that’s for sure.”