Oscar Piastri feels “Lando Norris’s penalty was very harsh” | 2024 F1 Qatar GP. McLaren failed to capitalize on its first match point for the Constructors' title in Qatar.

After yesterday’s Sprint one-two finish, McLaren faced an important match point in the Constructors’ title race, but the evening in Lusail brought little satisfaction for the Woking team. The most significant blow was the stop-and-go penalty handed to Lando Norris for not respecting a yellow flag, which dropped the British driver to tenth place. He had been running in second and could have challenged Max Verstappen for the win.

Oscar Piastri salvaged a podium with his third-place finish, but the Australian also expressed disappointment with the day’s outcome, particularly as he lost the battle with Charles Leclerc. This allowed Ferrari to close the gap to -21 points, keeping the Constructors’ championship fight alive until the final race in Abu Dhabi.

To be fair, Oscar Piastri himself was unlucky, as a Safety Car deployed shortly after his only pit stop allowed the Ferrari driver to snatch his position. However, it’s also true that after the restart, Oscar Piastri never seemed able to threaten the Monegasque’s second place.

“It was a tricky race because we all had a very similar pace, so it was tough to get into DRS range and then try to overtake. I had a couple of good battles with Charles Leclerc, and while it’s always nice to finish on the podium, this wasn’t the result we were hoping for,” Oscar Piastri told David Coulthard immediately after the race.

When asked about the fight with Ferrari, he emphasized the significant impact of his teammate’s penalty: “I don’t quite understand why they penalized Lando, but it was a very harsh penalty. It’s definitely going to be an exciting end to the championship. We hope to be strong in the last race, but we need to give everything to close the deal.”

Last year, the Qatar GP was physically grueling due to the heat. This year, conditions were noticeably better: “Yes, the temperature was lower, but the track was much faster. However, the fact that the car wasn’t like a sauna made life much easier for us. The track is fantastic, probably the most fun of the entire season. So I enjoyed the race, but the result isn’t good enough,” he concluded.