F1 Bahrain GP: McLaren think Oscar Piastri has “done well so far” despite Q1 exit

Oscar Piastri will start his debut race in P18, which is definitely not ideal, but despite that, McLaren are impressed with the rookie.

F1 Bahrain GP: McLaren think Oscar Piastri has “done well so far” despite Q1 exit

Oscar Piastri

The start of the year has not been ideal for McLaren. The warning bells had already started running at the launch of the new car, the MCL60. Team principal Andrea Stella had said soon afterward that the team were not entirely happy with the car. They seem relatively where they were when the last season started. In 2022, Lando Norris qualified 13th, and now he’s qualified 11th. Daniel Ricciardo had qualified 18th, and his replacement, Oscar Piastri is in the same position to start the season.

Clearly, this isn’t ideal. The team and the car may improve as the season progresses, but it’s never a mental boost when the season starts off like this. Especially as the team were aiming to be title contenders by 2025. That goal just may be in jeopardy. On paper, they’ve got the right drivers, and an exciting young pairing, but Piastri is yet to prove himself. He has qualified 18th, yes, but considering the package he has at hand, it’s not terrible.

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He’d also made a mistake, which figured into his final gap to Norris. All in all, McLaren were pleased with his performance in qualifying. As per RaceFans, team principal Andrea Stella said: “It was impressive because the snap he had in corner two was huge, he lost two to three tenths there, but otherwise it was not too far off Lando, which is obviously a very strong reference in Formula 1.”

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Read More: F1 rookie Oscar Piastri has no “urge to prove stuff to people”

Andrea Stella “impressed” with Oscar Piastri’s approach

Oscar Piastri
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri is a very highly-rated prospect: He won Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2 in consecutive years. So expectations are high, but it’s important to remember that he’s just a rookie and will need time. One of his strengths has alwasy been touted to be his mental fortitude and calm demeanor. This has impressed Andrea Stella, and the Italian thinks its a shame that Piastri’s speed and approach did not reflect in the final result.

The McLaren team principal said: “I’m impressed with the speed, but I’m also impressed with the approach. He has gone really step by step, staying always very calm, very aware of his points of strength and to some extent limitations associated with being a rookie. So it’s just a shame that this is not reflected in the classification. But actually I think Oscar has done very well so far.”

Piastri and McLaren have a big task ahead for the race. Lando Norris qualified 11th, so he will definitely be looking to see if he can sneak into the points. But that just might be all they can manage. For Piastri, points are unlikely, but he would still be looking to make up as many places as he could.

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