Finishing second at a drama-laden Austrian Grand Prix was a bittersweet experience for McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
The Australian had slammed a decision to drop him from third to seventh on the starting grid for exceeding track limits in Saturday's qualifying as "embarrassing" for Formula One.
But he fought back on Sunday to achieve his fourth podium in Formula One.
That came after a collision between teammate Lando Norris and Red Bull's triple world champion Max Verstappen ruined the pair's chances of a win. Norris failed to finish, while Verstappen was forced to settle for fifth.
It left Piastri wondering what might have been had Saturday's controversy been avoided.
"There's a lot of what ifs and maybes. Obviously, starting from yesterday I know it's only my fourth podium in F1, so close to a win, it hurts," he said.
"I think second half of the race we were coming on pretty strong, I am happy with another podium, when it's that close you can't help but hurt a bit."
His attention now turns to next Sunday's British Grand Prix. He finished a then-career-best fourth at Silverstone last year, and might have climbed to the podium had it not been for a poorly timed safety car intervention.
He said: "It's not my home grand prix but McLaren's. It was a place of good memories from last year. Hopefully we can be at the front. It's our team's home race. I'm excited for what is to come."
AAP
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