McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris Knocked Out in Q1 in Las Vegas Grand Prix

Accident – Death – Obituary News : McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris remain unfazed by the pace of their cars at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite both being eliminated in Q1. Norris finished in 16th place, while Piastri trailed behind in 19th, as neither driver managed to secure a time good enough to progress to the next stage of qualifying.

This unexpected turn of events came as a surprise, considering McLaren’s strong performance in the latter half of the season. However, the team has identified a tactical error as the primary reason for their failure to advance, rather than a lack of pace.

Unlike many other teams, McLaren chose not to equip their drivers with a second set of new tyres for the final runs in Q1. This decision proved to be a critical factor that cost Norris and Piastri dearly. Both drivers attribute their shocking qualifying elimination to this choice, but they maintain that the overall pace of their cars leading up to qualifying is still promising.

Piastri stated, “I don’t think it’s that confusing. I think the pace in the car is actually quite good. We got caught out a bit by not using a second set of tyres, or something like that. The car was pretty decent in FP3. At the start of qualifying, we were in a pretty normal spot, around the top five, certainly the top 10. As the track improved and others put on another set of tyres, we didn’t, and that explains it.”

Norris echoed Piastri’s sentiments, emphasizing the extremely competitive nature of the field. He believes that even a tenth or two could have significantly improved his grid position, as he finished in 16th place. Despite the disappointing outcome, Norris does not believe that McLaren made any major mistakes. He acknowledges the possibility of fitting another set of new tyres during the pitstop, but recognizes the difficulty of making such a decision in the midst of qualifying.

McLaren team boss, Andrea Stella, expressed the team’s goal of finishing in the points to solidify their position ahead of Aston Martin. With only a 21-point difference between the two teams and two races remaining, every point matters. Stella acknowledged the challenges faced during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend, particularly in terms of optimizing the car’s performance and managing tyre behavior.

He stated, “Despite that, we had enough performance to progress from Q1, but we were not able to because the single set of tyres we were going to use was degrading too rapidly and was not enough to beat cars that used two sets. We’ll take that on the chin and refocus on preparing for the race. It may be eventful, tyre behavior will be a major factor, and we’ll do our best to recover and score some points.”

In conclusion, McLaren remains optimistic about their overall performance in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite their disappointing qualifying results. The team attributes their elimination to a tactical error rather than a lack of pace. Norris and Piastri are confident in the potential of their cars and aim to secure valuable points in the upcoming race, as they strive to maintain their position ahead of Aston Martin in the championship standings..