The Australian dominated the weekend, winning the Sprint, taking pole for both the Sprint and grand prix, and leading early — only for an early Safety Car and the team’s decision not to pit him to derail his victory.
A dejected Piastri vented his frustration after the race to Sky Sports F1, noting that he had yet to speak to his team about the strategic blunder.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone, but feeling pretty crap as you’d imagine,” he said.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t really know what to say. Obviously, we didn’t get it right with the strategy.
“I think the pace was very strong. I feel like I didn’t put a foot wrong. It’s just a shame to not walk away with the win.”
The race itself began with Piastri launching cleanly from pole, pulling away from Norris, while Verstappen attacked the other McLaren to take second into Turn 1.
The race settled until Lap 7, when Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber collided with Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, sending Hulkenberg into the gravel and bringing out a Safety Car.
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Eighteen drivers pitted under the caution, but Piastri and teammate Lando Norris stayed out — a call that ultimately cost them the win, as Verstappen used the Safety Car advantage and strong pace to maintain a gap after the second stops.
Norris fell further behind Sainz and Antonelli, only passing the Mercedes driver on the penultimate lap after a mistake.
The result drops Piastri to third in the championship, four points behind Verstappen and 16 adrift of Norris with just one race remaining in Abu Dhabi, with Norris simply needing to finish on the podium to claim his first drivers’ championship.
Piastri described leaving the strategy decisions to the team, acknowledging he trusted them to have the full picture.
“I left it in the team’s hands to decide what the best strategy was,” he said.
“They have more information than I do, but, yeah.”
When asked whether ‘Papaya Rules’ may have influenced the call, he remained cautious.
“I’m not sure today’s decision was to do with that. I think we potentially just got it wrong, but I’ll speak with the team.”
Despite the disappointment, Piastri said he was already focused on resetting for Abu Dhabi.
“Just drive like I did this weekend. That’s all I can do,” he said.
“It’s more than good enough to dominate this weekend and if I can do the same thing next weekend, then I’ll be a happy man.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the team’s error and the resulting heartbreak for Piastri, explaining that the decision not to pit under the Safety Car on Lap 7 was deliberate, even if it backfired.
“It was a decision,” he said.
“In fairness, we didn’t expect everyone else to pit. Obviously, when everyone else behind you pits, then it makes it a big thing, like definitely the right thing to do.
“Obviously, when you are the lead car, you don’t know exactly what the others are going to do.
“There could have been a loss of Lando in pitting in case we’re pitting both cars with a double stack.
“But effectively, the main reason was related to not expecting everyone else to pit.
“So it was a decision. But as a matter of fact, it wasn’t the correct decision.”
Stella confirmed that while the team’s ‘Papaya Rules’ aim to maintain fairness between their drivers, the primary factor in the call was the unexpected timing of the Safety Car.
“First of all, we understand Oscar being extremely disappointed, because like I said at the start, he has done everything right,” he said.
“He’s been fast. He’s been solid. He’s been consistent. Likewise, Lando.
“So the drivers deserve to capitalise on their great performance. In terms of adapting the way we go racing, we just want to always keep the options open for both drivers.
“They are both in a condition to win the championship.”
He added that the team would review the outcome to ensure stronger execution in Abu Dhabi.
“We need to prepare very diligently. Very professionally,” Stella added.
“Following our consolidating way of preparing race events. And at the same time, I think some of the last events have given us some important information to process, review, make all the adaptations that are needed, such that from every single way of going racing, we are perfect.
“We need to be perfect because the competition is so high. Our competitors are doing so well that if we are not perfect, we have seen this today, we have seen these in Vegas, then we may miss opportunities.
“We are still in condition to have the outcome of the championship in our hands.”
Norris, meanwhile, described the race as a gamble that didn’t pay off.
“It’s tough,” he said.
“We just have to have faith in the team making the right decision. Always a gamble.
“I feel like we were the ones who took the gamble in a way, but, yeah. I mean now it’s the wrong decision. We shouldn’t have done it.
“Oscar lost the win and I lost P2. So, yeah. We didn’t do a good job today, but we have done plenty of good jobs in other races and we won the constructors’ seven races ago, six races ago because of that.
“So, no, not our finest day, but that’s life.”
When asked whether the team’s attempts to keep things fair between the drivers could jeopardise the championship, Norris was firm.
“Nope. Nothing to do with that. We’re free to race,” he said.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins on Friday at the Yas Marina Circuit.
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