He has been one of the champions for the past few weeks, but this time, McLaren only secured a place at the end of the race. Their two drivers offered different explanations for the double elimination in Q1.
On the first US weekend of the year, in Miami, we actually saw two McLaren drivers deposited in Q1 – the big difference being that the team’s car has been completely revamped since then, and the team has settled into its second place position. Leading into the final third of the year, Red Bull is usually the first chaser.
In Las Vegas, they were nowhere near that performance, as evidenced by Lando Norris’ 16th and Oscar Piastri’s 19th.
“We are very disappointed. We expected to have difficulties this weekend, but that does not mean that none of our cars will be able to get through Q1. The weekend did not start well, and now we can just focus on competing.”
General Manager Zach Brown said Sky Sportsto.
His explanation is deceptively simple. “We know that slow corners are not our forte, and on the straights… we’re not bad, but we’re not the strongest. We’re good in fast and medium corners and there’s not a lot of that on this track. We struggled with the low downforce settings this year. Not the best.” “From a championship point of view, we are out of Q1 with both cars, but we will see what happens in the race. There could be dramas.” The American looked forward.
Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris (Photo: XPB)His rivals did not fully agree on why they were eliminated. Oscar Piastri is convinced they simply outdid themselves with the tyres. “The pace was very good in free practice, and the tires were in good condition. At the beginning of the test, our pace was good. I don’t know, maybe we were the only ones who didn’t use two sets of tires. If so, that would explain a lot, because “We were in the top five after the first rounds. I don’t think things would have gone at full speed, just according to our schedule.” Australian thought.
“It’s not that confusing. Our car’s pace is very good, the only thing that surprised us was that we didn’t use two sets of tires.”
“We still have to investigate whether it’s over. But that would explain how we were fifth, and then actually eliminated in Q1, while I was driving better.”
Oscar Piastri (Photo: XPB)Meanwhile, Norris wasn’t sure it was just a matter of using the tires. According to him, McLaren’s basic pace is somewhat missing, and the improvement that others have been able to achieve alongside track improvement. “I wouldn’t call it a surprise, it was very close. If you’re not satisfied, it makes a big difference. And two tenths means five positions. The few things combined, we can easily say it’s not bad, blah blah blah. But we simply struggle with the car on this track. “We already knew this before the weekend. Of course, it will be painful if you don’t reach Division Two.”
“I don’t think we did anything wrong. We probably should have stopped for another set of tires. But it’s hard to decide that in the middle of a time trial. We both accelerated fast, got out of the car a lot early, and then everyone got faster and better, improved, which “It led us a little astray at the beginning of training. It happens.”
said the frustrated Brit.
In terms of continuity, Piastri seemed the most optimistic, saying their race pace would be enough to catch up. “Well, I don’t want to rely on luck tomorrow. There are a lot of tight straights and turns. It’s very difficult to turn the tires. This might be objectionable to some. Of course, we shouldn’t be among them. We’ll do everything. I think the pace of the car “Powerful.”
