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Oscar Piastri’s False Start and McLaren’s Vegas GP Struggles Unpacked

Harry Stone by Harry Stone
November 27, 2024
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Oscar Piastri’s False Start and McLaren’s Vegas GP Struggles Unpacked

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; McLaren Formula 1 Team driver Oscar Piastri of Australia (81) drives during the Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The glitz and glamour of the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix couldn’t mask the missteps for McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri, whose night was marred by a costly grid penalty and persistent car issues.

False Start on the Strip

Piastri’s troubles began before the first lap even commenced. Positioned in the eighth slot on the starting grid, the Australian’s McLaren was deemed to have its front tyres outside the grid box. The FIA stewards swiftly handed him a five-second penalty, a mandatory punishment for violating Article 48.1.c of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.

“Part of the contact patch of Car 81’s front tyres were outside the lines of the grid box at the time of the Start Signal,” the stewards’ report explained.

Given the limited extent of the breach, the penalty was deemed appropriate, but it nonetheless derailed Piastri’s race strategy. He served the penalty during his first pit stop, further complicating his race.

“I didn’t feel like I did anything different or overshot it,” Piastri remarked post-race. “Clearly, I must have been a bit out, but that wasn’t the biggest problem tonight.”


McLaren’s Las Vegas Misstep

McLaren entered the race with high hopes, but the cool temperatures and graining issues on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit left both Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris struggling to compete with front-runners Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

Piastri’s night was particularly challenging, finishing seventh behind Norris, who managed a cleaner race and benefited from a strategic free pit stop late in the race. Piastri acknowledged that both qualifying and the race left much to be desired.

“We had some ideas why things didn’t really come to us in Q3, but the race was much more difficult than we expected,” Piastri said.


The Tyre Trouble Factor

One of the most pressing issues for Piastri was tyre graining, exacerbated by the unusually cold desert night. While Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton dominated the event, Piastri found himself battling against an unforgiving tyre setup that offered little grip or consistency.

“We knew graining would be an issue, but it was a lot worse than I feared,” he admitted. “On my side, it was much, much more difficult with the tyres than I expected.”

This unexpected struggle hindered his ability to make an impact, leaving McLaren engineers with plenty to dissect before the next race.


A Learning Moment for Piastri

Despite the rough outing, Piastri’s performance offered valuable lessons in his rookie season. While his teammate Norris has been delivering more consistent results, Piastri’s penalty and subsequent tyre woes served as a reminder of the razor-thin margins that define success in Formula 1.

McLaren will undoubtedly regroup as the championship heads into its penultimate round in Qatar. For Piastri, the focus remains on understanding the Vegas challenges and continuing his steady growth into a formidable force in the sport.

As the 2024 season inches toward its conclusion, McLaren will hope for better conditions and performance in Qatar to secure their standing in the constructors’ battle, while Piastri looks to bounce back from his Sin City stumble.

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