On the 44th lap of the Australian Grand Prix, McLaren suffered a nightmare situation as Lando Norris and his team-mate Oscar Piastri ran wide.
As his family watched on, the Australian driver oversteered onto the grass and looked to get stuck as his rear tyres spun. Slamming the car into reverse, he slowly utilised the rear weight bias of his Papaya machinery and, in a stroke of luck, managed to return to the tarmac. Unfortunately for the driver, this costly error pushed him down the grid as his team-mate powered on.
Originally running in P2, the infamous Aussie curse struck once again, denying Piastri of a spot on the podium despite a very successful weekend up until this point.
Since Albert Park started hosting races in 1996, no Australian driver, including the likes of Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo, has stood on the podium at their home Grand Prix. Piastri is still hoping to do this after he confirmed another contract with his team. Jack Doohan, the second Australian on the current grid, also faced his fair share of bad luck, crashing out of the race on the first lap.
Although Piastri initially lost P2 to Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, he managed to take the position back and continued his strong start, consistently putting pressure on his team-mate. However, after the spin on lap 44, he was sent to the back of the pack with only rookie Haas driver Oliver Bearman behind him.
As the chaos continued, with Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson crashing out of the race, Piastri managed to end in the points with a ninth-place finish.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Six drivers crashed out of the race. Isack Hadjar, unfortunately, did not start after crashing on the formation lap. Following Hadjar, Doohan, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Lawson, and Bortoleto, all retired from the race.
Joining Norris on the podium were Red Bull driver Verstappen and Mercedes driver George Russell, who finished in second and third, respectively.
