Oscar Piastri acknowledged that McLaren is still struggling with pace despite qualifying seventh for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will see him start from sixth due to a grid penalty for Isack Hadjar. Piastri's qualifying performance was close, finishing just 0.005 seconds behind his teammate Lando Norris, but he admitted that he could not extract the best from his final lap due to grip issues at Turn 2.
Looking ahead to the race, Piastri expressed concerns about the challenges posed by high tyre degradation and the competitive field. He noted that while McLaren's long-run performance appeared promising, the surrounding competition also showed strong race pace. Piastri emphasised the importance of strategy and maximising opportunities during the race to gain positions.
via RacingNews365Oscar Piastri claims McLaren challenge 'exposed' by 'brutal' MalaysiaOscar Piastri expressed that the challenging conditions at the Malaysian Grand Prix revealed significant weaknesses in McLaren's MCL40 Formula 1 car. Despite finishing seventh on the road, he will start sixth after Isack Hadjar's penalty. Piastri's qualifying time was just 0.005 seconds slower than his teammate Lando Norris, but he acknowledged that the car's performance was not competitive on the Sepang track, which highlighted its struggles in low-speed corners.
Reflecting on the qualifying session, Piastri stated that the rough track conditions made it difficult to extract maximum performance from the car. He noted that while he felt there was potential for a better result, the inherent challenges of the MCL40 were evident. Piastri's comments underscore the ongoing difficulties McLaren faces as they work to improve their car's performance in the current season.
Sat 3 Oct · 21:00 UTC
via f1technical.netPiastri admits McLaren still lacks pace despite sixth-place starting spot
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