Oscar Piastri reveals key error after qualifying disappointment

Oscar Piastri has revealed a mistake through Turn 14 derailed his chances of bagging pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Piastri improved on his final Q3 lap when team-mate Lando Norris failed to do so, however the latter's initial effort was enough to ensure he sealed pole at Spa-Francorchamps.

The gap between the pair was less than one-tenth of a second - a much closer deficit compared to Piastri's sprint qualifying advantage on Friday.

While second on the grid may offer Piastri a chance to overtake early on during Sunday's race, the Australian admitted disappointment over the narrow defeat.

“It’s a bit disappointing,” Piastri said. 

“The second lap was coming together really well, just made a little mistake into Turn 14 and lost a lot of time.

“I felt like the car was very good again, but it's fine margins out there. Obviously, it's not a bad place to be starting, but there was more in it, which is always disappointing.”

The McLaren duo have been closely matched throughout the year as they both race towards their maiden F1 title.

Piastri highlighted the strong pairing is good news for the team, but makes trying to find gains over one another so much tougher.

“We’re a good teammate pairing, and we learn a lot from each other every weekend,” he said.

“That’s what makes us such a good team, but it also makes it difficult when you're trying to fight each other.

“I feel like I did an okay job today, just didn't quite execute it when it mattered. It’s a bit of a shame.”