McLaren has revealed the factors that led to Oscar Piastri’s accident during the formation lap of the Formula 1 Australian GP. The young driver touched the curb at Turn 4, lost control of the MCL40 and collided with the wall on the other side of the track, in an accident that prematurely interrupted his home race.
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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella described the moment as ‘very unfortunate and definitely difficult for him in front of the Australian public’, but highlighted confidence in the driver’s recovery at the next Chinese GP: “Oscar is a very mentally strong person. He will use this to become even more focused and determined starting from China. We will face this situation in a united way. We are a team in any situation, involving all members of the team,” he stated.
Stella detailed the three factors that caused the accident: “The first was the cold tire. When the wheel spin starts, it is very sudden. The second factor is the tire compounds and the use of the curb, which he used on practically every lap, which doesn’t help, especially with cold tires. And the third factor is the extra torque generated by oscillations and gear shifts, which interacts with the behavior of the power unit. It is a combination that is not seen during practice, because we didn’t have the combination of cold tires and the curb, which aggravates torque inconsistencies in phases of limited grip,” he concluded.
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He also emphasized that despite the accident, the team remains confident in Piastri’s ability to recover and in the lessons that can be applied to improve performance and avoid similar incidents in future races.
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