Even before Oscar Piastri could start his home race in Melbourne, it was already over. The Australian crashed during the reconnaissance laps prior to the Australian GP, and was therefore unable to appear on the starting grid. Although Piastri does not yet know the exact cause behind the dramatic moment, he suspects it has to do with extra power: ‘Basically it came down to the fact that at the moment I shifted I had one hundred kilowatts more power’.
Read more PREMIUM: Australian GP race special of over 40 pages!
It was once again a dramatic home race for Oscar Piastri. A season ago, the Australian went off track at turn thirteen, and saw his chances of a podium finish go up in smoke. He finished ninth then. A year later, however, it was even worse for the home hero: even before the race had started, Piastri already crashed on his way to the grid.
“We still have to figure out exactly what happened,” a defeated Piastri tells F1TV. “I ended up on the kerbstones a bit. But from what we’ve already seen, I think everything (on the car, ed.) reacted by the book. Basically it came down to the fact that at the moment I shifted I had one hundred kilowatts more power than I had had all weekend. When I shifted, the wheels started spinning and since I was already on the kerbs, it was a combination of bad factors.”
Read more Relive the Australian Grand Prix: Russell takes first win of the year, Verstappen P6
‘Should not happen’
For Piastri, it was extra bitter that his crash prior to the race had to happen in his hometown of Melbourne. “It’s really disappointing. Things like that shouldn’t happen,” said the McLaren driver. “The fact that it happened during my home race is of course even more disappointing.”
Read more Russell lives up to favorite status in Australia: ‘Happy when I crossed the finish line’
Read everything about the Australian GP here
