Oscar Piastri’s “thriller” lack of tempo in qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix means he faces the potential of dropping his Components 1 world championship lead for the primary time since April in Sunday’s race.
This wasn’t a case of a blunder costing him time in Q3, or apparent errors accumulating, however displays the very clear sample by means of the entire weekend: he’s merely slower than McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.
Piastri lapped 0.588s off Norris’s pole position time and can line up seventh for the race because of Carlos Sainz’s five-place grid penalty. Whereas he was puzzled by the deficit, Piastri accepted it was consistent with the sample of the whole weekend. He was six-tenths slower than Norris within the two free apply classes each ran in, with the hole in Q1 and Q2 0.259s and 0.485s respectively. You may as well prolong this to the US GP final weekend, the place Piastri was additionally off the tempo.
So what’s the issue?
With each drivers understood to be on comparable set-ups, the primary chance to contemplate is whether or not there may be some underlying automotive downside, maybe some undetected harm carried over from the first-corner collision within the Austin dash race final week. Piastri did not rule this out, and studying between the traces you would possibly even conclude he is hinting at it, however he additionally stated the general really feel of the automotive was regular though he was at instances visibly struggling for grip in comparison with Norris.
“Troublesome to know,” stated Piastri when requested by The Race if he was certain there was nothing mistaken with the automotive. “Every thing feels regular, however the hole was huge in that session, it has been huge all weekend.
“There’s been some issues the place I felt like I can tidy it up and make some straightforward progress, however not all of it. And I feel in qualifying I did an affordable job and the automotive felt affordable as effectively. So the dearth of laptime is a little bit of a thriller.”
McLaren staff principal Andrea Stella was requested whether or not a change of monocoque may be required, however was assured Piastri’s automotive is working because it ought to do. That does not fully rule out the likelihood one thing has been discovered, however makes it unlikely.
“Each proof, each piece of knowledge, each oblique measurement of knowledge we have now tells us that there isn’t any downside with the automotive, and we have now no cause to suspect that that is the case,” stated Stella.
“Additionally the change of the chassis, I do know that within the historical past of Components 1 there may be this subject of fixing the chassis. I might change different parts than the chassis, like the ground, the entrance wing, however in actuality, there is a rotation of elements, so it is not like there’s at all times the identical elements on the vehicles. So we have now causes to be reassured that there isn’t any downside with the automotive.”
Stella as a substitute stated he believes the reply lies in Piastri’s driving approach, which has typically been extraordinarily profitable however has not proved completely suited to the sliding and low-grip circumstances each at Austin and in Mexico. Whereas Norris, extra in tune with these calls for however who has had his troubles elsewhere, proved the McLaren was the category of the sphere over a single lap, for Piastri it was tougher. Stella summed it up as Norris excelling in low grip, Piastri in excessive grip.
“The quickest automotive is a automotive that must be pushed in a sure manner, particularly when you’ve got circumstances like right here, and to some extent in Austin, with scorching Tarmac, sliding tyres,” stated Stella.
“And the best way during which you generate laptime is a manner that comes comparatively naturally for Lando, and fewer naturally for Oscar. Lando is the driving force of occurring low grip, finish of the stint when the tyres are fairly worn, the grip is low – it is the place we see Lando go inexperienced sector, inexperienced sector, inexperienced sector. Oscar, as a substitute, is extra of a driver of excessive grip. That is the place he can exploit this unbelievable expertise.
“On the similar time, we do not have to overlook that whereas we discuss concerning the chief within the drivers’ championship, he isn’t even completed the third season in Components 1. So experiencing conditions like we have now right here and in Austin is the way you really calibrate your self as a driver. Each session is studying slightly bit as to what you’ll want to do, what you’ll want to really feel, to say, ‘I am quick now in these particular circumstances’, which, conversely are extra pure circumstances for Lando.
“So nothing to fret [about]. I feel it is extra a calibration train for Oscar. I am certain this calibration will repay already within the race and in any future occasion during which the regime during which the tyre and the automotive work together with the Tarmac is much like right here.”
Previous to working in Mexico, Piastri steered his troubles final weekend had been particular to the Circuit of the Americas. However throughout FP2, there was already a touch that there was one thing in widespread with the difficulties when race engineer Tom Stallard up to date Piastri on Norris’s tempo benefit, suggesting that the sting within the heavy braking zones at Flip 1 and Flip 12 had been key to that and saying “he is difficult the braking and rear slips extra, a bit like Austin however a smaller distinction”.
This pertains to one thing Stella stated final weekend concerning the significance of maximising the effectivity of the brakes to ship laptime. That proved troublesome for Piastri within the low-grip circumstances at Austin, in addition to Mexico.
“In some methods, not too dissimilar,” stated Piastri when requested how completely different his issues in Mexico had been to these within the US. “What’s been a bit shocking right here has simply been that the hole’s been the identical just about each session. I really feel like I’ve carried out some first rate laps by means of the weekend, however all the pieces appears to be about 4 or 5 tenths off. That is clearly not an ideal signal, however a number of the issues that had been troublesome in Austin are additionally proving troublesome right here.”
Piastri may be mighty on the brakes, notably when throwing the automotive into hairpin turns, however one of many themes as he labored on his approach by means of the Mexico weekend has been experimenting with braking factors and, at instances, buying and selling off peak stress with elongating the braking zone.
On his remaining Q3 lap he braked slightly later than Norris for Flip 1, however had misplaced round half a tenth by the primary apex. He could not carry the identical velocity by means of Flip 2 as his team-mate and the losses by means of the precise/left/proper sequence, and his inferior exit, added as much as a deficit of round two tenths by the point he received to Flip 4.
The Flip 4-6 sequence had been an issue for Piastri earlier within the weekend, however by Q3 he was extra in tune with it and truly pulled a while again to make the hole just below a tenth and a half coming into the quick sweeps of Turns 7-11. Regardless of Piastri usually being strongest in excessive velocity corners, it is a part the place Norris had a transparent benefit all through the weekend, constructing his benefit to virtually 4 and a half tenths by the entry to Flip 12, which follows a brief straight after the sweepers.
Piastri carried much less velocity than Norris by means of and out of Flip 10/11 on his remaining lap, then misplaced slightly extra time by means of the stadium complicated, as has typically been the case this weekend. Not controlling the rear tyre temperatures in addition to Norris appeared to play a component in that.
Piastri characterised it as “dropping slightly bit in all places” and whereas laptime loss is never uniform throughout the lap it has been constant. There’s been no nook or nook sequences throughout apply and qualifying the place Norris hasn’t been the faster driver, and that might doubtlessly be defined by an underlying automotive downside.
Nevertheless, it may be an aggregation of small deficiencies in opposition to a team-mate who’s on mighty kind, with Stella summarising it as “one driver is struggling slightly bit and the opposite driver actually managed to carry out at the perfect of what was out there”.
Given how efficient Piastri has been at stepping up his efficiency throughout weekends in 2025, although, and excelling at tracks the place he’d struggled final yr, it is comprehensible that he is confounded by the actual fact he hasn’t been capable of flip issues round.
“From Austin, there was some issues that had been clear, however even these issues that had been clear had been a bit uncommon, a number of the variations,” stated Piastri.
“And once more, this weekend it has been a bit completely different; I’ve not modified actually how I am driving because the begin of the season – even just a few races in the past when issues had been going rather well. So, it is troublesome to pinpoint the place the laptime’s been missing this weekend, however I am certain we’ll discover it.”
Stella stated there are explanation why this hassle has not reared its head previous to this late stage of the season. Mexico seems to have supplied a singular mixture of a mushy C5 tyre with none graining, for instance, which may be very completely different to final yr, and has created what Stella known as a “fairly explicit regime” to handle the preparation and execution of a qualifying lap.
But it surely’s not nearly qualifying as a result of to date this weekend, Piastri’s long-run tempo has additionally regarded weak relative to Norris. And even when he does make a giant step on Sunday, gaining observe place in what is predicted to be a processional one-stop race with the emphasis on managing the automotive temperatures, it is going to be troublesome to make huge positional positive factors.
That makes Sunday’s race all about harm limitation. However no matter how that performs on the market’s each cause to count on that when he returns to motion at Interlagos for the following race, Piastri shall be again to regular and each bit the championship risk.
