Oscar Piastri’s reaction to Zak Brown’s apology was caught on camera following the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Australian appeared to be cruising to his first victory since Zandvoort after dominating Saturday’s sprint, however, a major strategy blunder handed the win to Max Verstappen.
Piastri and Norris were the only two cars to stay out following an early safety car, putting them a pitstop behind the rest of the grid with Verstappen directly behind them.
Despite McLaren costing Piastri victory, it was arguably Norris who suffered more with the championship leader only managing fourth place thanks to a Kimi Antonelli error.
Verstappen’s victory puts him just 12 points behind Norris heading to Abu Dhabi, where all three drivers remain in contention for the title.
Despite Piastri’s second place finish keeping his dream alive, the 24-year-old was extremely downbeat at the chequered flag.
“Clearly we didn’t get it right tonight,” Piastri said post race.
“I drove the best race that I could and as fast as I could. There was nothing left out there.”
A dissapointed Oscar Piastri following the Qatar Grand Prix (credit: getty)
When quizzed on strategy, Piastri explained: “I think in hindsight it’s pretty obvious what we would have done, but I’m sure we’ll discuss it as a team.
“It’s not all bad. It’s been a really good weekend and the pace has been very strong.
“Obviously it’s a little bit tough to swallow at the moment.”
Following the race, Zak Brown forced Piastri to pause his media duties to share an embrace and small chat with the McLaren boss which the Aussie didn’t seem keen to reciprocate.
zak came to oscar in the media pen to apologise to him…
oscars face made me giggle 😭 pic.twitter.com/V9B5c3KR4N
— a⁸¹🪼 | OSCAR PIASTRI 9X RACE WINNER (@oscarsslando) November 30, 2025
On return to his interview in the media pen Piastri was asked what Brown had just told him.
Piastri responded: ‘I mean it was just an apology, so I can’t ask for more than that.”
The clip of the incident has gone viral on social media, with many implying Piastri was not impressed by Brown’s antics.
Brown extended his apology to Piastri to social media, posting on X: “No excuses, we got it wrong today and take full responsibility as we could have won that race with both drivers on the podium.
“Both drivers deserved more. Oscar was dominant all weekend. Time to debrief, reset, and come back stronger in Abu Dhabi.”
With Piastri 14 points off the championship lead, he will be hoping for a miracle next weekend.
