Oscar Piastri has missed out on his first visit to a Formula One race podium this season, the Australian left pondering what might have been after Max Verstappen raced to a hard-earned victory in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Red Bull’s Dutch maestro Verstappen was forced to hold off Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris in a dramatic conclusion to Sunday’s race at Imola, winning by just 0.725 seconds at the chequered flag.
It must have left Piastri, who eventually finished fourth after a frustrating day trying to get past a couple of Ferraris, wondering what he could have achieved if he had been able to get a clear tilt at Verstappen. Unfortunately for the Melburnian, he never got the chance after having to start fifth on the grid following his penalty from stewards after his brilliant second-placed finish in qualifying on Saturday. Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren F1 Team.
(Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images) Piastri, who had been relegated for obstructing Kevin Magnussen’s Haas in qualifying, had been faster than Norris all weekend, yet his English teammate still nearly followed up his maiden victory in Miami with a late charge on Sunday. “I think it’s shown we can definitely take the fight to them,” said Piastri, brushing aside any personal disappointment. It was, however, a familiar story as Verstappen held on for his fifth victory in seven races this season, the 59th of his career and a third in a row at Imola.
“I had no grip anymore. I was.
