"No empathy": McLaren boss slammed for Piastri message

McLaren boss Zak Brown has been slammed by a former champion for the "insensitive" nature of his radio message after the Aussie had missed out on the world title.

Mathematically in contention for the drivers' championship heading into the finale race of the season in Abu Dhabi, Piastri finished second behind Max Verstappen, with Lando Norris third.

The Briton only needed to finish on the podium to be crowned world champion.

As Piastri crossed the line, he was consoled by his engineer over the radio before Brown interrupted.

“What a season, what a season,” Brown said. “You’re a star. Seven wins. We love ya. We’ll do it again next year. Thank you Oscar for everything you’ve done. What a year.

“Oscar, very proud of you. Awesome. What a team player. We go again next year. See you on the podium.”

While the words are kind, it was the timing that didn't sit well with former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg.

“That’s his most horrible moment in his racing career,” Rosberg said on Sky Sports F1.

“Maybe Zak could have had a little more empathy there, rather than celebrating. He could have said, ‘Next year will be your year,’ but it’s difficult for Zak because he’s so ecstatic at the same time.”

As for Piastri, in his own words, it was “not quite the ending he wished for” but the 24-year-old said he was proud of the season he produced.

“Honestly, pretty good. I knew that going into today I needed the stars to align to win the championship,” Piastri said.

“Ultimately, I tried my best and put myself in the best position I could to try and win the race and give myself the best opportunity, but it wasn’t to be. I think we can be very proud of the season we’ve had.

“On a personal level, it’s obviously not quite the ending that I wished for but I think when you look at the season as a whole, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve been able to put in and my team have been able to put in to make so much progress from last year. I’m looking forward to plenty more fights in the future.”

Plenty had been said before the race about team orders and whether McLaren would honour “papaya rules” given the threat Verstappen posed to Norris and the very real possibility of both drivers missing out on the title.

Piastri overtook Norris on the opening lap of the race but he didn’t have the speed to match Verstappen.

Opting to focus on the positives, Piastri was pleased to have rediscovered his form in the final few races – even if McLaren had endured some nightmare strategic errors.

A double disqualification in Las Vegas last month as well as a disastrous missed opportunity of a safety car pit stop in Qatar meant the team missed out on vital points. But it all came good in Abu Dhabi with McLaren celebrating the drivers championship and the constructors’.

“It is nice to end the last couple of weekends on a relative high, certainly from a performance point of view,” Piastri added. “I guess individually it was nice to find some form again because it would have been pretty painful to end it on the note that Austin, Mexico and Brazil kind of went to.

“Ultimately, there were ups and downs through the year. I’ll look back on the ups with a lot of pride and joy, and look on the downs with plenty of lessons learned. There are plenty more years left to go and hopefully plenty more opportunities.”

HOW THE TITLE RACE FINISHED

1 Lando Norris (GB) McLaren 423pts
2 Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 421pts
3 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 410pts
4 George Russell (GB) Mercedes 319pts
5 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 242pts
6 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Ferrari 156pts
7 Kimi Antonelli (It) Mercedes 150pts
8 Alexander Albon (Thai) Williams 73pts
9 Carlos Sainz (Sp) Williams 64pts
10 Fernando Alonso (Sp) Aston Martin 56pts

HOW THEY FINISHED IN ABU DHABI

1. Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 1:26:07.469
2. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren +12.59sec
3. Lando Norris (GB) McLaren +16.57s
4. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari +48.56s
5. George Russell (GB) Mercedes +23.28s
6. Fernando Alonso (Sp) Aston Martin +1:07.56
7. Esteban Ocon (Fr) Haas +1:09.88
8. Lewis Hamilton (GB) Ferrari +1:12.67
9. Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) Sauber +1:19.01
10. Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin +1:19.52
11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Bra) Kick Sauber +1:21.04
12. Oliver Bearman (GB) Haas +1:21.17
13. Carlos Sainz (Sp) Williams +1:22.158
14. Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Red Bull +1:23.79
15. Kimi Antonelli (It) Mercedes +1:24.40
16. Alexander Albon (Thai) Williams +1:30.33
17. Isack Hadjar (Fr) RacingBulls + 1 lap
18. Liam Lawson (NZ) RacingBulls + 1 lap
19. Pierre Gasly (Fr) Alpine + 1 lap
20. Franco Colapinto (Arg) Alpine + 1 lap