Oscar Piastri feels he was just a couple of tenths away from progressing into the second part of qualifying for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.
Piastri racing on home soil for the first time since his days in go-karts grew up 20 minutes away from the Albert Park circuit and was hoping for a second consecutive Q3 appearance after qualifying ninth in Jeddah.
But there were no repeats of his Saudi Arabian heroics, as Piastri could only manage 16th on the grid for his home race, missing out on Q2 by less than a tenth.
“Yeah, obviously a shame to be out in Q1,” said Piastri to the media. “Just missing those last couple of tenths.
“It felt like a good lap but nothing amazing, [but as] we’ve said [throughout] the whole season, it’s so tight between the teams around us, and today showed we’re not quite quick enough.”
Hopeful for the race ahead
With McLaren and Piastri still yet to get off the mark in the 2023 Formula 1 season, tomorrow’s race may be a long one due to the lack of overtaking opportunities at the Albert Park circuit.
However, it is possible to score points from the bottom half of the circuit, with Alex Albon coming from 20th on the grid to finish 10th in the 2022 Australian GP
“I’ll try my best, of course,” said Piastri. “We’ll see how [easy it is] to overtake. [But], for everyone out there, it will be difficult.
“Historically, it’s not the easiest track to overtake on [so] we’ll see.”
