Oscar Piastri out of home grand prix after crash in warm-up
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He said McLaren was still trying to find out what went wrong but took responsibility for the mistake.
“I’m very sorry for everyone who came to support me. Frankly, I didn’t want to start the year this way either,” Piastri said.
“I think last year, even though the result wasn’t what I wanted, I felt there were a lot of positives to the weekend. This year obviously the disappointment is even greater.”
Immediately after the crash, McLaren CEO Zak Brown could not explain this.
“We didn’t see anything in the data. That’s [Piastri] He didn’t say anything on the radio. We will do an autopsy after the race,” Brown said.
“I’m sure he [Piastri] They’ll be upset about it for a while, but these race car drivers know how to bounce back quickly. “Not the way he wanted to start, but he will come back.”
Piastri’s drama began when he exited the pits and shifted into high gear.
Piastri and teammate Lando Norris during the drivers’ parade. Credit: Getty Images
According to Sky Sports’ former F1 racer Antony Davidson, he felt what was called a “torque surge” and the engine power from the cold tires conspired against him.
“His mind was focused on the battery [energy]Davidson said it was a combination of driver and mechanical error that sent him into the wall.
This incident is another chapter in the tale of misfortune for Australian drivers at Albert Park, where no Australian has made it to the podium.
Daniel Ricciardo was denied a place on the podium in 2014 due to his post-race disqualification.
While Piastri was in contention at last year’s race, he returned from his home grand prix and recovered to finish 9th.
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Two more people lost their lives during the race when Red Bull pilot Isack Hadjar and Cadillac’s Valteri Bottas retired from the race.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso appeared to retire on lap 15, but later rejoined the race.
MORE TO COME
