Piastri "felt like some of my laps when it counted were not bad" despite disappointing result
Championship leader Oscar Piastri "felt like some of my laps when it counted were not bad" despite the disappointing result in the nail-biting qualifying session at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
McLaren driver Lando Norris looked untouchable in the third and final practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez, having topped the last hour of practice in style.
The Briton looked strong across qualifying, but he Ferrari managed to pose a challenge to the McLaren man in the final segment of qualifying. However, Norris duly delivered on his last lap, pulling out a special flying run to grab a first pole since Belgium.
His team-mate Oscar Piastri has struggled all weekend by comparison and qualifying day was no different, as he wound up a good few tenths back time and time again.
The Australian had to work hard to reach Q3, and even if he looked slightly more comfortable in his McLaren in the dying seconds of qualifying, he only ended up eighth quickest. The championship leader will inherit one place when Carlos Sainz serves his grid penalty.
Commenting on his qualifying performance, Piastri said: “It was tough. It felt like some of my laps when it counted were not bad, but just not the lap time that I’m expecting obviously. There’s some things we need to try to understand, but obviously a frustrating session.”
When asked about the power unit-related issue he mentioned during the second qualifying session, Piastri responded: “The PU was fine, I think – just a small under-delivery in one of the corners on the lap, but nothing major that continued.
“The thing that’s been missing is the lap time. Everything’s felt normal. The car’s never going to feel amazing around here with the high altitude, but everything’s felt pretty normal – just the lap time’s not been there.”
The McLaren driver – whose championship lead over Norris stands at just 14 points – outlined that he wants to have a good start to limit tha damage he might suffer after the race.
“Try and have a good start, and then see what I can do. It’s a long run to Turn 1, so there’s opportunities there and I’ll try and take them," added Piastri.
