Oscar Piastri finds out about Qatar Grand Prix qualifying penalty on LIVE TV

Piastri na P2 in Sprint Shootout op Spa-Francorchamps — Photo: © LAT Images

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Piastri finds out about qualifying penalty during LIVE TV interview

Both McLaren drivers faced the wrath of the stewards after exceeding track limits during qualifying

Cal Gaunt

Friday 6 October 2023 21:03

Oscar Piastri was told that his fastest qualifying lap had been deleted and he would be dropping to sixth on the grid during a live television interview.

At the conclusion of the session, Max Verstappen held pole position, while below him, chaos ensued as both McLaren drivers had their lap times deleted.

Initially, it had appeared that Lando Norris would start Sunday in second, with Mercedes' George Russell in third, followed by Piastri in fourth and Lewis Hamilton in fifth.

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However, things would soon change as both drivers were penalised for exceeding track limits. With no Q3 time registered, Norris will now start the race in 10th and Piastri sixth after his penalty had been imposed.

Both Norris and Piastri were penalised after the Qatar Grand Prix qualifying session

Piastri: It's a shame

“Obviously it's a shame," Piastri told Sky Sports F1. "The car felt reasonable, I just pushed the limit of the car in the last lap. It's a shame because the car was quick.

“We get another crack at it tomorrow with qualifying and then the Sprint too. We’ll see what we can do.

"I think it’s very tight and it’s so easy to make mistakes. The track’s very slippery so that's not making things easy for us.

“We’ll try again, obviously it’s a shame that we’re a bit further back down for the main race where the most points are but there’s definitely points up for grabs tomorrow.”