Oscar Piastri was on course to become the first Australian to record a podium finish at his home grand prix before his McLaren team ordered him to let his teammate Lando Norris past on Sunday.
The 22-year-old was third behind the Ferraris of winner Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc on lap 29 before the team made the call that saw Norris finish third.
Boos were heard from the patriotic crowd at Albert Park as Piastri obeyed the order – although the Aussie was diplomatic about the incident after the chequered flag, saying Norris had out-qualified him and was the quicker of the two during the race.
Piastri started fifth, with Norris fourth, but managed to get past his teammate during the first round of pit stops.
Piastri was on the verge of becoming the first Aussie to record a podium finish in his home grand prix before McLaren made a very tough decision
His teammate Lando Norris (right) finished a strong third behind the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (left) and winner Carlos Sainz (second from right)
Piastri (pictured in action during the race) overtook Norris during the first round of pit stops but was outpaced by the British star during a tough middle stint
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‘I would have loved to have been one spot up but no, pretty happy with that,’ he said after the race.
‘Few little things that I could’ve done a bit better in that race. I think I just struggled a little bit in that middle stint on the hard [tyre].’
He later had a moment that saw him leave the track on the second-last corner and lose up to four seconds, but still finished more than 20 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in fifth.
The fourth place was the best result an Australian has recorded at a home grand prix.
‘That must feel especially horrible in your home race,’ F1 commentator David Croft said after Piastri gave way.
‘But as we’ve often seen with Oscar Piastri, when the team asks you to do something, he does it, he doesn’t complain.’
Daniel Ricciardo struggled badly for the third straight race this year. He could only manage 12th as his teammate Yuki Tsunoda came eighth
The poor race result came after the Aussie was knocked out in the first qualifying session – and admitted he had no idea why Tsunoda has consistently been faster than him
The Melburnian got a standing ovation when he crossed the line, but the fans were far from happy when he and Norris changed places.
‘I have to tell you that went down like a cold flat white with the crowd,’ commentator Ted Kravitz said.
The other Aussie in the field, Daniel Ricciardo, struggled for the third race in a row this season as he was once again easily beaten by his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
The 34-year-old was on the ropes after having his best qualifying time deleted for exceeding track limits, and he could only manage 12th while Tsunoda was eighth.
Before the race, Ricciardo confessed that he couldn’t understand why he lacked so much pace compared to the Japanese star.
His latest result – coming after he finished 13th in Bahrain and 16th in Saudi Arabia – is sure to increase the pressure on him as he tries to put himself in line to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull.
On Saturday Red Bull’s Helmut Marko bluntly stated the Aussie is ‘too slow’ in races – and that impression has only strengthened after the chequered flag at Albert Park.
