Oscar Piastri is feeling the sting after a costly mistake saw him exit in Q1 for the Mexico City Grand Prix, a bitter result after McLaren had shown strong potential through practice. On Saturday, Piastri went into qualifying with high hopes, especially after McLaren’s impressive pace in FP3. But a lock-up on his first Q1 attempt and a costly error on his second lap dashed any chance for a comeback, landing him in 17th on the grid.
“I just went off in Turn 12, got beached on the curb there, and that’s it,” Piastri said, describing the error with clear frustration. “My lap was easily going to be enough, so it’s frustrating to make that mistake. I lost about a second, so… painful.” His disappointment is palpable, as the 22-year-old Australian had felt confident heading into qualifying after making strong progress in FP2 and FP3.
McLaren opted to start Q1 on medium tires, hoping to preserve their softs for later runs, but the strategy backfired when Piastri struggled to find grip on his final lap. Switching to softs for his last attempt, Piastri was well on pace to advance until a slide at Turn 12 ended his run. Reflecting on the decision not to go for another fresh set, he admitted, “We didn’t have to, but it felt like a very sensible decision to do that. I think we just had very, very little grip on that second lap, which was a shame, but I mean, I shouldn’t have even needed it.”
The frustration is amplified by the strong showing McLaren had put up all weekend, leaving Piastri with a feeling of missed opportunity. “The pace looked very strong, and I felt comfortable,” he added. “Just tried a bit too much in Turn 12, and it bit me hard.” It’s a harsh lesson in the tight margins of F1, where even a small error can knock a driver out in the opening stages of qualifying.
Piastri isn’t the first McLaren driver to face this kind of setback in Mexico, however. Last year, teammate Lando Norris also found himself starting in 17th but managed an impressive drive to finish fifth. Drawing on that recovery effort, Piastri hopes to mount a comeback in Sunday’s race. “Try and get back into the points, and strongly into the points, hopefully,” he said with determination. “We’re trying to draw inspiration from Lando’s race last year and see what we can do. I think it’s going to be tough, because the field looks reasonably tight. I think we’ve got some pace on board this weekend, so we’ll try and use it to get through.”
With a competitive car beneath him, Piastri knows that his shot at redemption lies in executing a smart and aggressive race strategy. Despite the setback, he’s ready to turn his frustration into focus, determined to claw his way back into the points and salvage his weekend.
