An apparent team strategic blunder has cost Oscar Piastri a shot at his fourth consecutive F1 win, with title rival Max Verstappen claiming the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Attempting to become the first Australian to win four straight races since Jack Brabham in 1966, Piastri finished third despite starting on pole and getting a better start than the Dutchman, who won from Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris.
But after leading the pack down the main straight Piastri watched the Red Bull brake later and bravely go around the outside at turn one of the old-school, narrow Imola circuit to take the lead.
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Piastri was noble in the opening corner – though Mercedes’ George Russell didn’t agree, complaining the Aussie didn’t give him space down the straight – giving Verstappen enough room to complete a brilliant move. It left the commentators questioning whether Verstappen would’ve been such a gentleman if the positions were swapped.
Either way it left the Aussie running a close second until he chose to make an early pit stop on medium tyres which were degrading faster than the teams expected.
This proved to be a mistake, with Piastri first copping a slow stop from his McLaren mechanics, and then being sent directly into heavy and foreseeable traffic which ensured he couldn’t use the additional pace from his fresh tyres to undercut Verstappen.
“Oscar’s having a ‘mare,” Sky Sports’ Ted Kravitz said mid-race.
Even though Piastri clearly had more pace than the drivers around him, and did well to repeatedly make passes through the midfield, that just used his tyres more quickly and ended up giving him no advantage whatsoever.
“Just braked too early – it was a good move by Max as well,” he said post-race.
“But we made a few wrong calls after that anyways. Definitely not our best Sunday.”
Things only got worse when a virtual safety car was called on lap 29, just after Norris had pitted in the other McLaren, allowing Verstappen to gain 10 seconds with a more time-efficient stop and extend his lead.
“It’s almost guaranteeing him the win with this gift of a safety car,” Kravitz said.
Piastri then stopped a second time late in the VSC period, coming out fourth and a whopping 36 seconds behind leader Verstappen, and 16 seconds behind second-placed Norris.
He was able to pass Alex Albon’s Williams for the final podium place on lap 40 before a full safety car was forced by the retirement of local hero Kimi Antonelli.
Verstappen and Norris both pitted for fresh hards, with Piastri moving into second but with his teammate having significantly fresher rubber and looking like the more likely driver to catch the Red Bull ahead.
“I’m not asking to let me by, I’m just saying…” Norris quipped on team radio.
It took an eternity for the safety car period to end, leaving just 10 laps remaining, and on the restart Verstappen quickly pulled over a second away to avoid the DRS.
Norris then used his pace advantage and the DRS to take second place from Piastri in the final laps, the Aussie again giving the passing driver space as he had with Verstappen to keep his team happy.
This was the first time in his career Piastri failed to convert a pole position into a race win.
The result sees the Melburnian still leading the drivers’ championship on 146 points, with Norris on 133 and Verstappen on 125.
The home fans were left happy with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc having some good fortune with the safety car timing to finish fourth and sixth respectively, after starting 12th and 11th.
Williams’ Alex Albon took a second consecutive top-five finish, in fifth, with George Russell, Carlos Sainz, Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda finishing the top 10.
Aussie Jack Doohan’s replacement at Alpine, Franco Colapinto, was an anonymous 16th in his F1 return after several unforced mistakes in the opening laps cost him positions.
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