Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver, faced difficulties during the Spanish Grand Prix compared to his teammate Lando Norris. Piastri expressed confusion with his lack of speed and acknowledged that he had some clues and potential ideas about the reason for his struggle. However, he admitted that he did not have a complete understanding of the situation. Piastri mentioned that the struggle persisted throughout the weekend, with only the second half of the race being slightly more positive. He and the team made several attempts to improve, both in terms of the car and his own performance, but the reasons behind the struggle remained unclear. Piastri emphasized the need to understand why this was the case throughout the weekend.
Piastri refuted the notion that this was the most challenging race he has faced since entering F1, but he acknowledged that it was his most demanding experience of the weekend.
When asked if this was his toughest fight since entering the grid last season, Piastri replied, “No, I don’t believe so. I think there were other weekends, especially in some of last year’s races, where Sundays were tougher than some of the entire weekends.
“I think in this race, especially in the second half, it wasn’t so bad. I think it was just a general lack of speed.
“So, from a tire management perspective, it wasn’t a bad result. But when you don’t have the initial speed, it becomes very challenging.
“So yeah, I think it was a big struggle, especially during a lap, which hasn’t really been the case before.
“I would say this is the first weekend where it has consistently been difficult from start to finish.
“I think in some weekends last year, the race was tough, but the qualifying was decent.
“This weekend, it has been a struggle from start to finish, even during practice. It simply hasn’t worked.
“So yes, obviously I need to understand why that has been the case. I have tried various different setups.
“I simply haven’t had much confidence in the car, which is a new experience for me in my F1 career.”
However, with Norris demonstrating that the MCL38 still has the potential to win races in Barcelona, Piastri found it encouraging to see the inherent speed of the car.
“I think it has been somewhat unusual how much I have struggled on my side of the garage this weekend,” he added.
“In the last four or five races, I have been able to start very well and build from there.
“But this weekend, for whatever reason, it just hasn’t clicked, except for the occasional lap here and there where I felt I drove really well, but the lap times just didn’t come as easily.
“So yes, I think the fact that Lando has been fast on a completely different circuit in the last three or four races, which are much faster and smoother, and almost won the race, is very encouraging for the team. On my side, I just need to unlock that pace.”
