Third place to Oscar Piastri in the night GP in Qatar, the 22-year-old Australian is on the winner’s podium for the tenth time, third behind Verstappen and Leclerc. “We missed an opportunity here.”
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri secured his tenth pole position at the Losail International Circuit (the same number as Tony Brooks, Romain Grosjean and Maurice Trintignant) – third place at the Qatar Grand Prix, behind world champion Verstappen and Ferrari ace Leclerc.
Piastri is disappointed because it is clear to him that there would be more. He says this about his race: “That was a very difficult race. I soon realized that the best cars had the same speed. It was very difficult to build a foundation that way.”
“I had a great fight with Charles Leclerc, and of course I’m happy that we finished on the podium, but of course we should have gotten more from this race for obvious reasons; we missed an opportunity here.”
“But as it stands, the decision between us and Ferrari has been delayed until Abu Dhabi, which is appropriate for this turbulent year. I hope we will also have a fast car in the final and finally get the title.”
“A year ago we were tired here, it was very humid and hot. Racing at the beginning of December made everything a little easier, although this track is one of the most physically demanding, because of all the fast corners, which is very frustrating.
“The tarmac also offers more grip than a year ago, the cars are faster and we are running on softer tires than in 2023. All this contributes to the fact that the race here is very difficult. All in all, for me, this is the track I enjoy the most .And if you end up on stage, even better.
Qatar-GP, Losail International Circuit
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:31:05,323 h
02. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +6,031 sec
03. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, +6.819
04. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +14,104
05. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, +16,782
06. Carlos Sainz (L), Ferrari, +17,476
07. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, +19,867
08. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Sauber, +25,360
09. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +32.177
10. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +35.762
11. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Sauber, +50.243
12. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +56,122
13. Yuki Tsunoda (J), Racing Bull, +1:01,100 min
14. Liam Lawson (NZ), Racing Bulls, +1:02,656
15. Alex Albon (T), Williams, +1 Round
outside
Nico Hülkenberg (D), Haas, turner
Sergio Pérez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, Antriebschaden
Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, collision damage
Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, accident
Franco Colapinto (RA), Williams, Unfall
World Championship Standings (after 23 out of 24 Grands Prix and 6 out of 6 Sprints)
the driver
01. Verstappen 429 points
02. Norris 349
03. Leclerc 341
04. Plate 291
05. Sainz 272
06. Russell 235
07. Hamilton 211
08. Perez 152
09. Alonso 68
10. Hulkenberg 37
11. Gas 36
12. Tsunoda 30
13. Walk 24
14. Ocon 23
15. Magnussen 16
16. Albon 12
17. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) 12
18. Oliver Bearman (GB) 7
19. Colapinto 5
20. Zhou 4
21. Lawson 4
22. Bota 0
23. Logan Sargeant (USA) 0
Builders Cup
01. McLaren 640 points
02. Ferrari 619
03. Red Bull 581 Racing
04. Mercedes 446
05. Aston Martin 92
06. Alpine 59
07. Haas 54
08. Racing Bull 46
09. Williams 17
10. Sauber 0
: “You missed an opportunity” / Formula 1){kind=link}