McLaren protests Piastri's deleted Q3 lap time at Austrian GP

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

SPIELBERG, Austria — McLaren has lodged a formal protest against the results of qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix after the stewards deleted Oscar Piastri's fastest lap time in Q3.

Piastri had initially set the third-fastest time of the session, trailing only Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. However, his time was subsequently annulled when officials determined that he had all four wheels over the white line defining the track limits on the exit of Turn Six.

This decision forced Piastri to rely on an earlier lap time, resulting in him being relegated to seventh on the grid. Expressing his frustration, Piastri described the stewards' decision as "embarrassing," especially in light of the FIA's concerted efforts to curb track limits violations this weekend. He also pointed out the minuscule margin by which he was found to have exceeded the track limits.

"For me it's embarrassing," Piastri commented post-qualifying. "We do all this work for track limits, put gravel in places, and I didn't even go off the track. I stayed on the track, probably my best Turn Six, and it gets deleted. I mean, I don't know why they've spent hundreds of thousands, if not millions, trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off. But anyway, everyone else kept it in the track; I didn't, that's how it goes."

This year, strips of gravel were installed on the exits of Turns Nine and 10 at the Red Bull Ring following a spate of post-race penalties last year for track limits violations at those corners. Turn Six, the corner where Piastri ran wide, traditionally features an expansive gravel trap beyond the kerb. Nevertheless, there remains sufficient space between the gravel and the white line for a car to marginally exceed track limits without entering the gravel.

McLaren's protest underscores the ongoing tension and debate surrounding track limits in Formula 1, highlighting the challenges officials face in enforcing these regulations consistently. The outcome of McLaren's protest could have significant ramifications for the final grid positions and the broader discussions on track limit enforcement.

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