“I don’t know what to say, really”: Dejected Oscar Piastri makes his feelings known on Australian GP heartbreak
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was at a loss for words after a disappointing end to the 2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix. He was in contention for a clear P2 finish at his home field, but an error late in the race dropped him to the back of the grid.
As the new F1 season kicked off, McLaren locked up the front grid in Australia to mark a dominant start to the year. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stayed in the lead for most of the race as a drenched track challenged the drivers. As the asphalt dried, most of the grid shifted to slicks, and so did the race leaders.
However, as it started pouring again on Albert Park, Norris and Piastri lost control of their cars in the final, considering they were still on slicks. While the former was able to keep himself on the track, the 23-year-old Australian found himself beached on the grass.
After a seemingly impossible attempt, Piastri was back on the track, and a safety car helped him catch up with the field. He managed to finish P9, which was a major disappointment considering his teammate won the race.
Speaking to the media after the race, Oscar Piastri was seemingly at a loss for words.
"I've felt better," Piastri said. "Yeah, just disappointed obviously. Honestly, I don't know what to say really. Obviously I'm staying for myself, but yeah, I think for a to have the consequences it did was a little bit unfortunate."
Piastri took the blame, claiming that he pushed too hard, considering the mixed conditions.
"Obviously I've only got myself to blame, tried to push too much in those conditions."
Oscar Piastri is optimistic about China after a dominant McLaren performance
The Woking-based outfit won the Constructors' Championship in the 2024 season after a major step-up in their performance helped them to win multiple races. They were expected to carry that momentum into the current season, and they did.
McLaren was undoubtedly the fastest car on the track. The only reason they did not have a double podium was because of the tricky conditions that saw drivers using slicks on a damp track.
Adding to his statement and considering the car's pace, Oscar Piastri reflected a ray of optimism as he mentioned they had many positives to extract from the race.
"I’m obviously very disappointed, but I think there are a lot of positives to take," Piastri added.
When asked if the team would have a similar performance in China next week, given their performance in Melbourne, Piastri replied positively.
"Yeah, definitely. At the moment, it doesn’t really feel like that but I would rather feel that I drove the race where I felt I could have put myself on the top step than struggling around and finishing on the podium."
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris form a strong pair on the grid. Both drivers won multiple races last year, which helped them to clinch their first Constructors' title since 1998. They also battle neatly on the track, which does not pose a major risk for the team as a whole.