Oscar Piastri, from Australia, driving for McLaren, had a setback in his quest for a spot on the podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix of Formula 1. McLaren took responsibility for the three-grid penalty that affected Piastri’s performance. Piastri received the same upgrade package on his MCL38 car that helped Lando Norris secure a victory in Miami, establishing McLaren as Red Bull’s main competitor. Piastri showed promising performance in the last practice session, leading a McLaren 1-2 and outperforming his teammate to secure second place, just 0.074 seconds behind Max Verstappen. However, due to obstructing Kevin Magnussen’s Haas during Q1, Piastri was penalized and could not start from the front row. Despite managing to overtake Carlos Sainz during pit stops, Piastri struggled to challenge Charles Leclerc for third place due to the importance of track position. McLaren team boss Stella acknowledged that the obstruction caused by Piastri was a result of inadequate team communication, not a driver error. Stella expressed regret for the missed opportunity for Piastri to secure a podium spot and took responsibility for the penalty. However, he remains confident that Piastri will have more opportunities in the future. Piastri ended up just outside the podium, while Norris showcased McLaren’s potential by securing a third consecutive podium result. McLaren solidified its position in third place in the Constructors’ Championship, with a total of 154 points, trailing Ferrari by 58 points.
