Oscar Piastri explains what led to Brazilian GP qualifying disappointment
Oscar Piastri believes McLaren left it too late to switch to intermediate tyres in qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Australian driver qualified 12th in a rain-delayed session at Interlagos, although he will start from 10th after penalties are applied to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton for power unit changes.
Piastri made it through Q1 on full wet tyres, but conditions had improved enough for teams to switch to intermediates in Q2.
“I’d just finished a lap, but I think we probably went onto the inters a little bit too late and needed that extra lap or two to really get some temperature in them,” Piastri explained to the media after the session.
“Some of the lines I was using on the wets definitely didn’t work on the inters, so some things to review, of course, but I think with another lap and maybe slightly better decisions we could have been there.”
Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Colin McMaster / LAT Images via Getty Images
When asked to clarify if he was blaming the red flag for costing him the lap, the McLaren driver added: “I definitely would have got one more lap in, but it’s the same for everybody.
“Everyone would have got another lap, so I’m not sure. I think there was definitely a lot more time out there, but you just need to be on the right tyre at the right time.”
Looking ahead to the grand prix, Piastri explained the race will be challenging if the rain returns.
“We’ll see what weather we get first and go from there. I think it’s going to be very challenging in the rain, so let’s see what we get,” he said.
Piastri’s team-mate Lando Norris secured pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Norris and Piastri currently sit sixth and seventh in the drivers’ standings with 221 and 144 points, respectively.
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