Piastri gives reasons for disastrous qualifying result in Mexico

Oscar Piastri shared his thoughts after a quiet qualifying session in Mexico, where he could manage only eighth.

Speaking to Viaplay about the big gap to the drivers ahead — especially his teammate — the Australian summed up his qualifying as follows: “I haven’t checked yet. The gaps have been… this weekend especially, it’s not really narrowed down at all through the sessions. Nothing’s felt wrong. I haven’t felt like I’ve driven badly, but the pace just isn’t there.”

Asked where he felt he lacked in qualifying, Piastri concluded: “I think a little bit everywhere, really. When you have a gap like that and feel like your lap was okay, then there’s something that’s not quite there.”

Photo: Race Pictures

McLaren to ‘review’ Piastri’s struggles in Mexico

“A little bit to review on Oscar’s side,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added to Viaplay when asked to analyze what happened concerning the championship leader.

“Obviously, it’s a little bit more difficult for him to exploit the full potential out of the car. This was already appearing in Austin, somehow confirmed here — something to review to make sure that we are in good shape for tomorrow.

Read also

Piastri just survives Q2 after eliminating Tsunoda in Mexico

“The kind of issues are similar. The demand from the two circuits is similar. There’s low grip, the car slides a lot, and you have to somehow optimise your driving style for these conditions. That’s something Lando actually does very well — when there’s sliding, when there’s low grip, that’s where he gives his best. Conversely, Oscar is a driver who shines in high-grip conditions, where he can really push the car to the limit.

“But that’s what it is. We need to accept that, we need to optimise the car’s performance, and we need to optimise the driving because we want to recover positions with Oscar tomorrow.”

Here’s how Norris reacted to his pole position in Mexico.

Read also

Piastri just survives Q2 after eliminating Tsunoda in Mexico

F1 Full Results | Norris gets mega pole, what a hard blow for Piastri!

Norris puts in statement lap for pole position, Piastri only eighth

GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.