McLaren lodge protest against Austrian GP qualifying results over ‘harsh penalty’

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

McLaren has pushed ahead to lodge a protest against the results of qualifying in Austria, due to a time from Oscar Piastri being deleted for track limits.

Following an alleged track limits violation during his flying lap, Oscar Piastri had his quickest time of qualifying deleted for the Austrian Grand Prix – with McLaren choosing to go ahead with a protest against the results in response.

Andrea Stella: McLaren has lodged a protest

Piastri finished the qualifying session in Austria in seventh place, having had his fastest time deleted for a breach of track limits at Turn 6 – he had been in third place at the chequered flag until his 1:04.786 became one of five times deleted during the session.

The FIA has confirmed the team has now lodged a protest, stating “A protest has been lodged concerning the results of the Qualifying session for the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

“Any other concerned parties may also attend this hearing.”

The protest has been lodged due to the team feeling Piastri’s track limits violation, which occurred at the only spot on the track not lined by the new gravel strips that have been used to enforce track limits following the debacle of the 2023 Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella explained the team’s decision to lodge a protest against the results due to concerns over how the alleged violation was detected and the consistency of the methodology used to detect it.

“We have lodged a protest, which has been acknowledged but not been actioned yet,” he said.

“Because we want to have the possibility to continue the conversation.

“Our approach to racing is we don’t want what we don’t deserve.

“But, when the penalty is so harsh, then, in the interest of sport, it’s not in the interest of McLaren. There needs to be clear evidence.

“We have done the next formal step. I guess if this has not been somehow actioned in terms of follow-up and hearing for the protest, maybe there’s some discussion ongoing – this I cannot say.

“The ball is not in our territory right now.”

Asked for details on what McLaren’s concerns are, Stella said it is difficult to state beyond reasonable doubt that the McLaren was, in fact, outside track limits – the evidence shown to the team by the FIA is understood to not have been able to prove the alleged violation with complete clarity.

“We have sought clarification,” he said.

“In particular, we wanted to look at the evidence whereby the car was beyond the track limits beyond any reasonable doubt.

“I cannot say that the beyond the reasonable doubt is satisfied. There are a couple of principles.

“One is that the system used needs to have adequate resolution and the second one is that the methodology used for one car needs to be applicable to all cars.

“Like, if you use a helicopter view for a car, you need to use the helicopter view, and needs to be available for all cars.

“We are normally very supportive of the FIA, we always recognise that everyone is trying their best.

“But, in this case, we couldn’t agree that the car is beyond the track limit beyond any reasonable doubt, and satisfying the two conditions I said before, so the discussion is still ongoing.”

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Oscar Piastri hits out at ’embarrassing’ adjudication

Speaking to the media following his qualifying session, the normally-placid Piastri was not best pleased with the decision that had sent him tumbling from third on the grid to seventh.

“We do all this work for track limits, put gravel in places, and I didn’t even go off the track,” he fumed.

“I stayed on the track and probably my best Turn 6 and it gets deleted.

“I don’t know why they’ve spent hundreds of thousands or millions trying to change the last two corners when you still have corners you can go off.

“But anyway, everyone else kept it get in the track, I didn’t, that’s how it goes.”

With the Red Bull Ring lined by grass and gravel, the track has added a thin line at the final sequence of corners in order to enable an artificial intelligence system to monitor and determine whether a track-limits violation has taken place – a near impossibility given the gravel strip that also exists behind the corner.

However, as Piastri’s deletion shows, Turn 6 has now emerged as a location where drivers may exceed track limits during the race.

“There is no reason this corner should be an issue for track limits,” he said.

“Especially when you stay on the track like I did, or not in the gravel.

“For me, obviously being the only one that’s had that happen to me, I’m probably more vocal about it right now.

“But I think it’s embarrassing that you see us pushing right to the limit of what we can do, and one centimetre more, I’m in the gravel and completely ruin my lap anyway.”