"Franco Colapinto what you playing at son?": Fans react to Argentine driver pushing Oscar Piastri to the grass at F1 Austrian GP

Lando Norris won the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, but Oscar Piastri was involved in a race-long battle with the Briton and was in contention for taking the race lead when he had a late incursion with Franco Colapinto. The Argentine drove the McLaren driver onto the grass unprovoked, leading fans to lash out at the Alpine driver for ruining a crucial moment in the race.

The Briton had started the race on pole position and had Charles Leclerc as a buffer between him and Piastri for the race lead. However, after just one corner, the Aussie driver made his way past the Monegasque and set his sights on moving past Norris.

The two enjoyed a massive battle mid-way through the race and were involved in a strategic tussle. But the papaya duo returned to equal terms for their final stint, and the gap between the two had returned to a mere two seconds.

Piastri's chase was aided by backmarkers in the way of his teammate, but these lapped cars soon turned into a misfortune for him. While lapping Franco Colapinto on Lap 55, the 22-year-old did not see the No. 81 papaya closing in on him and started drifting to the right side of the track, leading Piastri to take avoiding action and lose crucial time in the process:

Infuriated by the Alpine driver's actions, F1 influencer Tommo McCluskey shared his frustration over X:

"FRANCO [COLAPINTO] WHAT YOU PLAYING AT SON."

Subsequently, Tommo McCluskey's followers joined in on the dig to criticise Colapinto's move on Piastri.

"He genuinely is a liability," one fan wrote. "What the hell was that," another fan wrote.

Some fans went on to claim that Jack Doohan was supposedly a better option for Alpine, and wrote:

"He just really doesn't want to be in that Alpine anymore. 😅" one netizen wrote. "Just a clown!" another netizen wrote. "Bring back Doohan! 🤬" a third netizen shared.

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri ultimately finished runner-up at the Austrian GP after not being able to dethrone Norris from the top step of the podium.

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Oscar Piastri admits defeat to Lando Norris at the Austrian GP

Oscar Piastri (L) and Lando Norris (R) at the F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Source: Getty

Since FP2, Lando Norris had the measure of Oscar Piastri. The 25-year-old claimed the pole position for the 70-lap race with over half a second margin, showcasing his prowess behind the wheel at Red Bull Ring.

However, his advantage soon disappeared on raceday as the championship leader made multiple attempts at getting past him. Despite this, Norris maintained his cool and took home the chequered flag.

Reflecting on the race in the post-race interview, Oscar Piastri admitted that his efforts were not enough, as he said:

"Intense. I hope it was good watching, as it was pretty hard wok inside the car. I tried my absolute best, probably could have done a better job when I just got ahead. A good battle, probably pushed the limits a little far. Close, but not quite enough."

With his third win of the season, Norris reduced his deficit to Piastri down to 15 points in the Drivers' Championship.

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale