Aussie F1 star Oscar Piastri has admitted McLaren team officials ‘looked like idiots’ after he endured a horrific race at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Piastri, 25, finished outside the points in 11th after starting from fourth on the grid, one position behind his teammate Lando Norris.
With the circuit still slippery due to rain in the hours leading up to the start, McLaren strategists opted to send the Aussie out on intermediate tyres.
But due to the lack of grip, Piastri made the call to pit and switch to slick tyres at the end of lap one, mirroring eight of the other nine top‑10 starters.
As a result of the team’s blunder, the Aussie fell to the back of the field and soon became involved in a skirmish with Williams driver Alex Albon.
Piastri’s race then went from bad to worse when he received a 10‑second penalty for colliding with Albon on lap 13.
Oscar Piastri (pictured) has blasted his McLaren team over strategic blunder that badly hurt his chances at the Canadian Grand Prix
The Aussie star received a 10-second time for colliding with Alex Albon on lap 13 (pictured)
The McLaren driver failed to finish on the podium for the first time this year at the Canadian Grand Prix
The incident forced Albon to retire, and the McLaren driver had to pit again to replace his damaged front wing.
After some late‑race fighting, Piastri clawed his way back to 11th position but failed to score points for the first time this season.
The Aussie has since spoken out about his team’s strategic error.
‘Unfortunately for us, it stopped raining as the formation lap started, basically,’ Piastri said.
‘So, yeah, just one of those things where had it rained a little bit more, we would have looked like heroes.
‘But it didn’t, so we looked like idiots.’
Six drivers failed to finish in Montreal, with Mercedes star George Russell suffering a gearbox failure on lap 30.
Norris was also unable to complete the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve due to a power unit failure on lap 40.
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The 25-year-old Aussie (pictured) wasn’t afraid to voice his frustration after starting the race in fourth position
Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli (pictured) now leads the drivers’ standings by 43 points
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (pictured) claimed his second podium finish since joining Ferrari as he finished second
But it was Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli who stood tall in Canada, with the Mercedes youngster claiming his fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory.
After Russell retired, Antonelli controlled the chasing pack from the front and cruised to a win of more than 10 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton claimed his best result for Ferrari, finishing second after a battle with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman also enjoyed a strong day, with the four‑time world champion securing his first podium finish of 2026.
