Oscar Piastri has revealed that a change in grip levels at the Lusail International Circuit from one year to the other played a role in McLaren's disappointing performance in last Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Despite a strong showing in the Sprint race, where McLaren secured a one-two finish, the team's hopes of clinching the Constructors' Championship last weekend were dashed due to Lando Norris' penalty and strategic mishaps.
However, Piastri, who finished third in the main event, reckoned that the track's altered grip characteristics had also impacted McLaren's strengths.
“I think the track was very different to last year in terms of the grip level,” the Aussi explained.
"I think our car in certain conditions is quite different to last year as well, and I feel like some of our strengths that we had last year are not really strengths anymore because everybody else has caught up to us.
"I feel like some of our weaknesses are not really our weaknesses either, and I feel like it's a much more well-rounded car. But I think also maybe the grip level took away some of our strengths that we've had in the past here.
"I always expected it to be tight. I didn't expect it to be necessarily as, you know… I think apart from Max last year, we were very competitive in Qatar. But I always thought it was going to be pretty tough between the top four teams."
McLaren’s setbacks in Sunday’s race included Norris’ 10-second stop/go penalty for failing to slow under double-waved yellow flags, which put him out of contention for major points.
But Piastri also lost a crucial position to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc due to the timing of the race’s second Safety Car.
The McLaren driver had pitted just one lap before the caution period, while Leclerc pitted during the Safety Car, minimizing his time loss and gaining a position.
This misfortune allowed Leclerc to finish second, giving Ferrari a significant boost in the Constructors’ standings.
"I mean, yes, but that's how racing goes sometimes, unfortunately," Piastri reflected when asked if the Safety Car cost him second place. "Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.
"I feel like we've had that happen quite a few times this year, but we've had our fair share of luck as well.
"So I think the pace was decent, just not quite strong enough in the right places on the track, which made trying to get close pretty tough. Because I think once I had some clean air, the pace was strong."
Despite the challenges, Piastri expressed satisfaction with his third-place finish, noting that a win was always going to be difficult under the circumstances.
"Fighting for the win, given where I started and how the first part of the race panned out was always going to be a challenge, but I'm pretty happy to end up on the podium," he said.
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