26/08/2023
NEWS STORY
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri admits that his first big shunt in F1 was inevitable.
The Australian crashed out in FP2, while teammate Lando Norris went on to top the timesheets.
Speaking in the wake of the incident at Turn 3, made all the more bizarre by countryman Daniel Ricciardo's crash at the same spot seconds later, Piastri said it was bound to happen sooner or later.
"I just went in a little bit too hot, tried to turn in a bit aggressively and unfortunately found the wall," he explained. "It is a shame, and unfortunate to give the guys a massive load of work, but we will try to bounce back.
"I guess it was going to happen at some stage," he added, "but you never want it to. I was just pushing a little bit too hard, and around here, especially in that corner, you pay a big consequence if you overdo it a little bit. I'll try not to do it again."
Despite the crash, Piastri believes that overall it was a positive day for the team.
"It's clearly been a good day on Lando's side of the garage, it was a quick FP2 for him," he said. "Even before the crash, I was feeling quite good with the car and the pace looked reasonable on the hard tyre. Obviously I've got a few less laps under my belt, but it is encouraging that the car is quick."
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