Oscar Piastri believes he braked too early on the first lap as Max Verstappen won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Australian went into the event on pole but was quickly overtaken by his Red Bull rival, who went on to secure first on the grid.
Piastri ended up slipping down to third, with team-mate Lando Norris overtaking him amid their ongoing rivalry.
Verstappen has now closed the gap on Piastri as the 27-year-old chases a fifth F1 Championship on the trot.
Oscar Piastri believes he braked too early on the first lap as Max Verstappen won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday
SKY
And Piastri, speaking to Sky Sports, has expressed a belief that he braked too early on the opening lap - in a move that has ultimately cost him.
"I just braked too early. It was a good move by Max as well. Disappointing obviously but we made a few wrong calls after that anyway," he said.
"Not our best Sunday, so definitely a lot of things to look at and review. Well done to Max and Red Bull. It was a good move and they had pace today.
JUST IN:David Moyes makes sad admission about Seamus Coleman as Everton win last match at Goodison Park
"It was tricky. The VSC was perfectly timed for Max and Lando. I had used both of my hard tyres so made the last restart pretty tricky.
"I tried my best to keep second but didn't have enough grip."
On Norris overtaking him, he added: "I tried my best to hang on but just didn't have the grip. I tried my best but it was inevitable he would get past but I wasn't going to give up without a fight."
Oscar Piastri was forced to settle for third at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
getty
While it was a disappointing day for both Piastri and Norris, it was an afternoon for Verstappen to enjoy.
The Dutchman has had his critics so far this term but delivered a statement reminder why it would be so wrong to write him off.
And Verstappen expressed his immense pride after securing victory, with the Red Bull star praising the efforts of his team.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
He stated: "The start itself wasn't particularly great but I was still on the outside line, the normal line, so I was like 'well I'm going to try and send it around the outside' and it worked really well.
"Of course, that unleashed our pace because when we were in the lead, the car was good. I could look after my tyres.
"Massive improvement from Friday and I'm very pleased with that.
"The VSC was quite handy to pit. Even then, on the hard compound our pace was strong but then there was a Safety Car, so the field was back together.
Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Emilia Romagna Grand PrixGETTY"But on the restart we managed it all pretty well and brought it home.
"Incredibly proud of everyone. It's been a very important week for us. The car has performed really well.
"Also, I think the execution of the whole race - when to pit and the pit stops themselves were all very good."
