F1 News: Oscar Piastri Retires After Clash With Carlos Sainz Ferrari - Belgian GP

The Australian is out of the race after an exciting, but disappointing start.

Oscar Piastri, after an amazing sprint race from the Australian yesterday, retired from the Belgian Grand Prix after receiving damage on Turn 1 of Lap 1 from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

The two came together on Turn 1 as the McLaren driver attempted to push up the inside of the corner. Sainz closed the door and received sidepod damage to the right of his Ferrari, but it was Piastri who received race-finishing amounts. 

"I have damage. I was squeezed into the wall," he said.  

Attempting to continue for one lap on new tyres, his second lap of the Spa circuit came to an end as he retired his car off the track, causing a brief stint of yellow flags. 

Teammate Lando Norris is also struggling with the car setup with too much downforce, currently running in P14 on hard tyres. 

💔💔💔

📻 "I have damage. I was squeezed into the wall" - Oscar.

Oscar has stopped out on track and will retire from the race.#BelgianGP 🇧🇪

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 30, 2023

Sainz is also struggling with 10% reduction in aerodynamic balance and quickly dropped down the pack to P18. It's expected that the Scuderia may retire the car, but that's yet to be confirmed.