McLaren filed a protest earlier in the evening with the FIA. The team requested that Oscar Piastri’s cancelled qualifying lap be reinstated. The protest was ultimately dismissed as “inadmissible” by the stewards.
In a statement, the FIA explained the background to the decision:
“The Stewards first convened a hearing with McLaren to determine whether the protest was admissible. Present at the hearing were Team Principal Andrea Stella and Race Director Randeep Singh.”
The protest was previously made in writing to the race directors. Only 2 points of the protest are highlighted in the report by the FIA. First, the regulation relating to the protest was missing, which would have allowed the conclusion of an error of judgment. Then: “it was not specified against whom the protest had been filed”. Furthermore, the subject of the complaint was relative to a decision of the commissioners… However “A decision of the commissioners is not subject to challenge. The commissioners therefore reject the protest because it is inadmissible.”
Oscar Piastri will therefore start from 7th position on the grid for the Grand Prix this Sunday. A hard blow for McLaren who have one less asset to bring down the king Verstappen in Austria.
