Piastri: ‘I didn’t do a good enough job in qualifying’

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Piastri: ‘I didn’t do a good enough job in qualifying’

Oscar Piastri has scolded himself for not doing a good enough job in qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix, clearly feeling his McLaren team missed out on locking up the front row of the Zandvoort grid.

Yet the ***********, frustrated at finishing third behind Red Bull’s champion Max Verstappen and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, has certainly not ruled out his his chances of winning his second grand prix on Sunday.

Piastri was disappointed he couldn’t go any faster than 1 min 10.172sec with his fastest lap in Q3 on Saturday, as he finished a startling half-a-second slower than Norris’s flying 1:09.673.

Even more irritating for the 23-year-old Melburnian was to be pipped by Verstappen’s 1:10.029, especially as the McLaren, with its new updates, seemed clearly quicker.

“Just didn’t do a good enough job, really,” shrugged the ever phlegmatic Piastri.

“I think the first half-lap was pretty solid, and then the second half just wasn’t quite what I needed.

“The car’s been very quick this weekend and it’s a little bit disappointing to not have been a bit higher up.

“But still got a good race car underneath us, and we can get some, some really good points and hopefully some trophies tomorrow.”

Quizzed further about the prospect of picking up his second triumph in just over a month after his maiden win at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July a month ago, Piastri added: “I think it’s definitely not out of the question.

“The pace did look good in the long run and we’ve been pretty quick the last few weekends. so hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow, get a good start and try to make up a couple of spots if I can.”

Norris, who ended up bowing to team orders to allow Piastri to take a well-deserved victory in Hungary, will take some catching in Zandvoort, though, following an extraordinary pole-grabbing lap described by McLaren boss Zak Brown as a “monster’.

“I felt comfortable out there. The car felt amazing. We had some upgrades and everything is working very well,” said Norris.

“I’m excited for tomorrow. Max has been quick all weekend. I know we got him today but he’s still second and will put up a good ******, especially at his home race.”

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