Oscar Piastri hits Sainz with JINX claim after disastrous Belgian Grand Prix

Piastri voor de race op de Hungaroring — Photo: © LAT Images

Oscar Piastri

Piastri hits Sainz with JINX claim after disastrous Belgian Grand Prix

Young driver's race ended almost as it began, but he still feels proud of team's weekend

Lauren Sneath

Sunday 30 July 2023 22:27

Oscar Piastri has bemoaned the early end to his Belgian Grand Prix but said he feels ‘positive’ for the rest of the F1 season.

The McLaren driver had a stellar Saturday in Spa, taking P2 in the sprint race, but during the Grand Prix had early contact with Carlos Sainz and retired on the first lap of the race.

Piastri, who is in his rookie F1 season, said it was ‘difficult’ for McLaren but that the team should still be ‘happy with what we’ve done’.

He even joked about getting an 'early holiday' due to his short stint on track.

The Australian driver tweeted: "The highs and lows of Spa. Early summer holiday for me."

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The highs and lows of Spa. Early summer holiday for me. pic.twitter.com/IQM4cTGL6b
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) July 30, 2023

After the race, he told F1TV: “I think obviously I had a pretty good launch getting alongside Carlos, and then he kind of jinxed the inside a bit and obviously had to get out the brakes to not get hit.

“And then, my nose was kind of there, and at that point, it was too late to try and back out, so unfortunately, it ended up in contact. It's a shame to end so early.

“Yeah, I think overall we can still be happy with what we've done.

“Obviously, the first top-three finish yesterday, being very competitive in the qualifying sessions.

“It's obviously looking pretty difficult out there for us today. But I think we can still be proud, especially of the last few weekends we've had as well.

“So, positive for the rest of the year, and we'll see what we can do.”