Oscar Piastri on poor Mexico F1 qualifying: ‘My lack of pace is a thriller’

Oscar Piastri will begin the 2025 Mexico Metropolis GP from seventh moderately than eighth on the grid, due to Carlos Sainz’s five-place penalty, however that will likely be of little consolation provided that the System 1 championship chief’s quickest Q3 lap was 0.588s off McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.

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Piastri has been unable to elucidate the deficit he has carried to Norris all by the weekend, although workforce principal Andrea Stella described it as “milliseconds in each nook”.

Max Verstappen additionally had a disappointing qualifying session by his requirements however will nonetheless begin two locations forward of Piastri at a circuit which is infamous for 2 issues: carambolage on the first nook and the general issue of overtaking.

“The hole was massive in that session and it has been massive all weekend,” Piastri stated after qualifying.

“There’s been some issues the place I felt like I can tidy it up and make some simple progress, however not all of it. And I feel in qualifying, I really feel like I did an affordable job and the automobile felt affordable as nicely. So, yeah, the dearth of lap time is a little bit of a thriller.”

On Thursday, earlier than taking to the observe, Piastri had expressed confidence that the struggles he had encountered within the US GP – the place he was additionally outpaced by Norris – have been particular to the Circuit of The Americas. Requested by Motorsport.com whether or not the problems he was going through right here have been really totally different from the earlier weekend in Austin, he was equivocal.

“In some methods, not too dissimilar,” he stated.

“I feel what’s been a bit shocking right here has simply been that the hole [to Norris] has been the identical just about each session. I really feel like I’ve completed some respectable laps by the weekend, however all the pieces appears to be about 4 or 5 tenths off.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photograph by: Zak Mauger / LAT Pictures by way of Getty Pictures

“In order that’s clearly not an excellent signal. However among the issues that have been tough in Austin are additionally proving tough right here.”

Piastri had made moderately heavy climate of getting by to Q3 within the first place. Dramatic observe evolution by Q1 had pushed a lot of the discipline to do an additional run on new softs, so Piastri needed to essay his first Q2 run on beforehand used ones. That lap was solely ok for P10, clearly unsafe provided that lap instances have been nonetheless dropping, so he needed to nail it on his subsequent push lap.

Even then he was P7, and simply 0.079s quicker than Pink Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda, the primary driver to not make the reduce for Q3 in P11.

“I feel from Austin there have been some issues that have been clear,” Piastri stated.

“However even these issues that have been clear have been a bit uncommon, among the variations. Once more, this weekend it has been a bit totally different.

“I’ve not modified actually how I am driving because the begin of the season and even just a few races in the past when issues have been going very well. So it is tough to pinpoint the place the lap time’s been missing this weekend.

“However I am positive we’ll discover it.”

Images from Mexican GP – Observe & Qualifying

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing