McLaren is back to a strong competitive level in the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri securing third place at the start. In Saturday’s qualifying at Yas Marina, he was only beaten by Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), although the qualification for Q3 was “close”.
The rookie said in a statement that it was a tough qualifying session, but he was pleased with his performance and the car: ‘It was a difficult session. It’s extremely tight this weekend. The pace was there, I just made a small mistake, but it had to be a great last corner to get to the front row. Overall, I’m happy with today’s day, the car is very fast this weekend. It’s a good recovery from Las Vegas for the team, and I’m happy to be back in the top three’.
Although he recognizes that there are many unknowns about the race pace after limited practice sessions, Piastri praised his determination to end 2023 with a good result: ‘I’m not sure how our race pace will be, but we will analyze the data tonight. It will probably be the same for everyone. I think the most anyone has done is five consecutive laps this weekend, so tomorrow will be interesting. We will work hard to ensure positive points to finish the season strong’.
