Oscar Piastri in the US paddock - Photo: Race Pictures

Piastri adamant P6 was the maximum as Verstappen piles on the pressure

02:25, 19 Oct

byLuke-John Buckle

Oscar Piastri has endured a very difficult weekend at the United States Grand Prix and could only drive his McLaren to sixth place in qualifying despite making minimal errors.

"I didn't really make any mistakes, just didn’t feel like I really got into a rhythm for the whole session."

- Oscar Piastri

Piastri is leading the world championship and holds a 22-point lead over his nearest rival, teammate Lando Norris.

Both McLarens retired on the opening lap of the Sprint as Max Verstappen took victory. Piastri feels he delivered the full potential of his McLaren in qualifying but lacked any meaningful flow.

He told Sky Sports F1: "I didn't really make any mistakes, just didn’t feel like I really got into a rhythm for the whole session, just struggled. We’ll go and have a look at why. But that was obviously a battle."

Championship leader Oscar Piastri racing at COTA - Photo: RacePictures

Piastri has a tall order ahead of Sunday's 56-lap United States Grand Prix to match his title rivals.

Verstappen took pole by three tenths. Piastri explained that the Red Bull driver has been quick from the outset in Austin, but there are still some unknowns heading into the Grand Prix.

He said:"Max has looked quick all weekend, so we’ll have to wait and see if that translates to tomorrow as well, but we have no idea."

Stella feels McLaren have something to prove in Austin

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes that Sunday’s higher temperatures could swing the balance slightly back in the team’s favour. The MCL38 has often performed better in hot conditions and on circuits that demand careful tyre management, traits that could become crucial in Austin’s abrasive and bumpy conditions.

He said: “We need to prove now that we are strong from a racing point of view. We look forward to having some racing tomorrow, because it was definitely very disappointing not being part of the Sprint.

“Like I said before the Sprint, if we can have some racing, I think we can take advantage of the strengths of the car, especially in hot conditions and when we have tyre degradation."We look forward to tomorrow, that’s our objective, and we have to stay focused."

After a muted qualifying, Piastri faces a demanding task to defend his points lead and match the race pace of Verstappen and Norris. But with the car’s long-run performance typically stronger than its one-lap speed, the McLaren still had a chance of scoring some decent points.

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