Oscar Piastri has declared he has no complaints about his McLaren bosses rejecting his request to be given the birthday gift of shooting for glory at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Australian eventually finished third behind teammate Lando Norris and brilliant victor Max Verstappen on Sunday, but he was left clearly believing he had possessed the pace to get past the Red Bull champion and possibly make it back-to-back F1 wins following his win in China.
It ended up being a frustrating 24th birthday for the Melburnian, who was left to reflect on what might have been if his team bosses had heeded his request with nine laps left to be freed up for a crack at the Dutchman's lead, as he was clearly quicker than Norris, who'd been making no impression.
