First Max Verstappen, second Lando Norris and third Oscar Piastri. Potentially the first three slots on the Austrian Grand Prix grid could have been the same as that of Saturday morning’s Sprint Race, but the cancellation of the Australian driver’s best time due to exceeding track limits in Turn 6 meant that slide up to the fourth row next to Sergio Perez.
Once the qualifying sessions were over, Piastri’s reaction was not long in coming and he immediately questioned the possibility that he had actually gone beyond the limit that outlines the track. Precisely for this reason, McLaren opened a dialogue with the FIA to better understand the ruling and, in particular, asked to see clear evidence that the MCL38 #81 had left the white line that defines the edge of the track.
However, after McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said the FIA was unable to provide clear images proving Piastri had crossed the line, the team decided to lodge an official protest, with the hope of be able to overturn the decision and get the 3rd half back.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“For me it’s embarrassing. We do all this work for the track limits, we put gravel in some places, and I mean I didn’t even go off the track. I stayed on the track, it was probably my best Turn 6 and it gets cancelled.” , Piastri told Sky Sports F1.
“I don’t understand why they spent hundreds of thousands of euros, if not millions, to change the last two corners when there are still corners where you can exit. But, in any case, everyone else stayed on track, but I didn’t. That’s the way it goes.”
Speaking at the end of qualifying, Andrea Stella also weighed in on the issue, providing a few more details on why the Woking team decided to officially protest the result.
“We launched a protest, which has been acknowledged but has not yet been implemented, because we want to have the opportunity to continue the conversation,” he said before the protest was officially confirmed by the Federation.
“Our approach to racing is that we don’t want what we don’t deserve. But when the sanction is so severe, in the interests of the sport – not in the interests of McLaren – there needs to be clear evidence.”
![Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38](https://cdn.motorsport.com/images/mgl/2QzK4QWY/s1000/oscar-piastri-mclaren-mcl38.jpg)
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Stella said the images shown to McLaren, which the FIA said indicated Piastri was over the line, were not clear enough to be totally sure the Australian had breached the rules.
“We asked for clarification in particular because we wanted to look at the evidence which indicated that the car was beyond the limits of the track beyond a reasonable doubt. I cannot say that the element ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ is satisfied,” added the Team Principal, highlighting some discrepancies in the commissioners’ judgment methods.
“There are a couple of aspects. One is that the system used must have an adequate resolution and the second is that the methodology used for one car must be applicable to all single-seaters.
“If you use a helicopter view for a car, you must use the helicopter view and it must be available for all cars. We are usually very supportive of FIA proposals. But, in this case, we are not We were able to agree that the car is beyond the limits of the track, beyond any reasonable doubt, and that it meets the two conditions that I mentioned earlier. So, the discussion is still ongoing.”
![Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38](https://cdn.motorsport.com/images/mgl/0Rrvq3v0/s1000/oscar-piastri-mclaren-mcl38.jpg)
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Stella said the main problem with the images shown to McLaren was that they did not have a high enough resolution and were too affected by shadows.
“We used a fixed camera and a helicopter view. But in both cases, as I said, we really appreciate the effort to enforce the regulations, but I don’t think you can say that the resolution is adequate.”
“We had a case last year in Qatar, when Lando [Norris] he had been caught beyond the limits of the runway from the helicopter’s view and the resolution and precision were evident. The car was outside, so nothing could be said.”
“But in this case, everything is blurry and affected by the shadow. It’s a lot of work to come here, race, put together qualifying laps, and when the penalty is so severe, like a lap deletion, then we have to make sure that the penalty is enforced beyond any reasonable doubt.”
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