Piastri blows podium chance, spins out of Aussie GP
Oliver Caffrey |
Oscar Piastri has blown a golden opportunity to secure a historic podium at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne after spinning out 12 laps from the finish.
The McLaren ace was set to become the first Australian to finish in the top-three since the F1 race moved to the Albert Park circuit in 1996.
Sitting comfortably in second behind teammate Lando Norris, Piastri’s race ended in disaster on lap 45 as wet weather in Melbourne continued to cause chaos.
Piastri, who grew up 15 minutes away from the street circuit, was able to get his car back on track, but his hopes of a podium, or even a win, were dashed.
Earlier, fellow Australian Jack Doohan’s first home GP also ended in disaster after coming unstuck on the first lap.
Doohan slid on the slippery white lines and into the wall as his Alpine car suffered major damage and forcing him out of the race.
The incident brought out the safety car until the end of lap seven.
The start of the race was delayed by 15 minutes after Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar hit the wall on the formation lap at turn two.
The incident ended the French-Algerian’s F1 debut before it had even begun, leaving the 20-year-old devastated.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony, even went over to comfort Hadjar when he was walking back into the paddock.
Hadjar wasn’t the only rookie to endure a difficult weekend, with Haas teenager Oliver Bearman suffering endless mishaps in his first round as a full-time driver.
Bearman, who made his F1 debut as a reserve driver at Ferrari last year, crashed twice across practice and was unable to get his car ready for qualifying.
The Englishman was then forced to start the race from pit lane after being penalised for his crew tweaking the suspension in his car.
AAP
