Aussie motorsport legend Mark Skaife has tipped F1 to make changes following this weekend’s Grand Prix in China after a raft of complaints over the new rules and regulations. And he’s made the shock claim that Oscar Piastri’s crash was only 20 per cent his fault and 80 per cent the fault of the car.
Piastri crashed before the formation lap on Sunday, ruling him out of the Australian Grand Prix before it even started. The Aussie driver largely took the blame for going too wide over a curb, but also revealed he got an unexpected burst of electricity that sent him careening into the wall.
F1 has made a number of changes this year, most notably moving to an engine that’s 50/50 petrol and electric. The drivers have struggled to adapt, and Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have both aired complaints that it’s actually causing dangerous situations.
Mark Skaife reckons Oscar Piastri’s crash was only about 20 per cent his fault. Image: AAP
On ‘MotorRacing 360’ on Fox Sports on Wednesday night, Skaife made the staggering claim that Piastri is taking too much blame for the crash that was largely the fault of his car. “It’s come out of turn four, caught the kerb a little bit on the outside and then when they hit it with about 100 kilowatts of extra power…” Skaife said.
“Oscar’s been very nice about what happened here. This is a deadset car failure. This is a Verstappen in qualifying (type incident).
“These are the best drivers in the world, right? This is a young bloke who’s as good as there is, anywhere on the planet. To make a mistake like that – if you’re going to proportion it, it’s probably 10 or 20 per cent Oscar, all the rest is the car.”
Mark Skaife tips F1 to change new rules
Meanwhile, Skiafe said he believes F1 officials will have to make a change after China. “They’ll sit down, take a deep breath and have a look at what’s going on,” he declared.
“It’s what happens when propeller-heads and boffins make rules. That’s exactly what the issue is. The overtaking is all in a straight line. It’s like a highway pass. It’s absolutely wrong.
“We want genuine overtaking, we want authentic passes. If you compare what Supercars put on the weekend. Listen to the noise and look at the way the overtaking was done, it was as good as you’ll see. Our product was absolutely sensational.”
Oscar Piastri crashed before the Australian Grand Prix even started.
(AP)
Co-host Jess Yates added: “What is the sporting v technology v entertainment value of what we’re seeing? That’s the fine line they’re treading.
“They’re going to tweak it come the end of China, maybe even at the end of Japan, we will see some changes. The only person who looked really happy about the regulations was (race winner) George Russell.”