McLaren demanding solutions following Oscar Piastri’s observe limits violation at Austrian GP

On the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix final Method 1 season, observe limits had been a large a part of the story. Lap occasions being deleted for the violation dominated the complete race weekend and even led to an official protest from Aston Martin, who argued that race officers did not catch each occasion of the violation.

Race promoters on the Crimson Bull Ring took steps to mitigate the problem forward of this 12 months’s Austrian Grand Prix, putting in gravel traps round Turns 9 and 10 to attempt to dissuade drivers from working broad at these sections of the observe, and even including one other function: An synthetic intelligence system to observe vehicles as they rocket across the observe. Followers watching this weekend might need seen a brand new pale blue line across the circuit, put in to assist the AI system catch violations.

Regardless of the perfect efforts of the race officers in Austria, we nonetheless have a observe limits problem to debate, and doubtlessly a protest from a workforce concerning them for the second-straight season.

Within the closing levels of Q3, it appeared Oscar Piastri was set for a third-place begin in Saturday’s Austrian Grand Prix, as a powerful lap had him up in P3 because the seconds ticked down. However inside moments, Piastri was dropped right down to seventh, as his spectacular lap was deleted for you guessed it, exceeding observe limits.

You possibly can see the second in query right here:

Talking with Sky Sports activities F1 following the session, Piastri vented his frustration.

“For me it’s embarrassing,” started the Australian driver. “We did all of this work for observe limits, put gravel in locations, and I didn’t even go off the observe. I stayed on the observe. It was most likely my finest Flip Six and it will get deleted. I don’t know why they’ve spent lots of of 1000’s making an attempt to vary the final two corners if you nonetheless have corners you’ll be able to go off.

“That was most likely the perfect Flip Six I took. I used to be proper to the restrict of the observe, I feel that’s what everybody desires to see,” continued Piastri. “Once more, we’ve got spent a lot effort making an attempt to do away with these issues. There is no such thing as a cause this nook ought to be a problem for observe limits, particularly if you keep on the observe, like I did, or not on the gravel.

“So, yeah, for me being the one one which has had that occur to me I’m most likely extra vocal about it proper now however I feel it’s embarrassing that you simply see us pushing proper to the restrict of what we will do and one [centimeter] extra I’m within the gravel and finishing spoil my lap anyway – and it will get deleted.”

Piastri, nevertheless, appeared resigned to his destiny. “However, anyway, everybody else saved it within the observe, I didn’t,” concluded the McLaren driver. “That’s the way it goes.”

But, his workforce could not concur with that little bit of resignation. Following the session McLaren Group Principal Andrea Stella was noticed headed to talk with FIA officers concerning the choice:

Might we see a protest concerning observe limits on the Austrian Grand Prix for the second season in a row?

We simply would possibly.

UPDATE: In response to Medland, McLaren has certainly lodged a protest over the incident:

This story might be up to date with further info.