Ocon And Piastri Respond To Incident That Put Them Out Of Race In Austin
F1Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 17:00
Updated at Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 19:17
McLaren and Alpine F1 drivers Oscar Piastri and Esteban Ocon commented on the incident between them on lap one of the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
The 2023 season's rookie driving for McLaren had a great start from the 10th position on the grid when he moved into P8 after his first turn at Circuit of the Americas.
However, Piastri met with Alpine of Esteban Ocon, going side by side in turn two. Both cars slammed into each other from the side, suffering damage that would result in both driver's retirement.
The McLaren driver at first seemed to be doing well as he did not lose any pace but was later called into the pits by his team as his car suffered radiator damage. As reported by formula1.com, Piastri told media:
"It’s a shame to have had to retire the car after only ten laps. We had a good start and made up a few places but had a water leak that unfortunately ended our race."
While Piastri admitted this weekend has been below the level he wants to perform at, the Australian driver took this one on the chin and said these moments are the ones that build the driver's character.
"These are character building weekends that are very important in my first season, so we’ll take from it what we can and bounce back in Mexico next week."
The Sunday in Austin marked the sixth retirement during the 2023 season for Esteban Ocon. After suffering damage to his floor, he lost his pace and had to retire. The Frenchman told the media:
"It’s been a very unfortunate Sunday for us today in Austin. It feels like there’s been quite a few of those this year, which has really cost us."
The Alpine driver concluded, "It's pity" as he had a great starting position. Both drivers would also be able to make up two additional positions if they managed to finish the race, as two drivers inside the top 6 got disqualified. The 26-year-old added:
"Unfortunately, there was then contact with Oscar [Piastri] and the damage to our floor was too severe to continue."
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