Oscar Piastri’s qualifying struggles at the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix have raised fresh questions about his adaptability to changing track conditions, after the McLaren driver finished eighth — more than half a second adrift of teammate and pole-sitter Lando Norris.
The result was a surprise given how evenly matched the pair have been throughout the season. While Norris delivered a standout lap to secure pole, Piastri admitted confusion over why his pace did not reflect how the car felt behind the wheel.
Piastri said after the session
“If you’d asked me after the lap, I’d have said it felt good. But the time just wasn’t there. That’s what’s confusing.”
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A “high-altitude trap” for Piastri
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella called the 0.588-second deficit between the two “an exceptional situation,” describing it as a rare deviation from the team’s usual trend of near-identical lap times.
Stella said
“All season, our drivers have been separated by just a few hundredths of a second in qualifying and often centimetres in the race. This difference is not normal. It’s a reflection of how challenging the conditions were.”
Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez sits at an altitude of more than 2,200 metres, where the thin air significantly reduces downforce and cooling efficiency. Cars become more difficult to control, tyres behave unpredictably, and power units lose performance — a combination that tends to expose subtle differences in driver technique.
“The car skids more, and you need to adapt your inputs accordingly,” Stella explained. “These are the kinds of conditions where a driver’s experience and feel for the car are tested the most. It’s an area where Oscar is still developing, and he’ll only get better with time.”
Piastri’s “disconnection” between feel and performance
Piastri narrowly avoided elimination in both Q1 and Q2 before making it into the top ten shootout, where his best lap left him 0.6 seconds short of Norris. The Australian admitted the result was puzzling given that the McLaren felt balanced.
“It was frustrating,” he said. “I thought my laps were good, but the times didn’t match that. I had a small power drop in one corner, but that didn’t really change anything. The car felt fine — maybe not perfect in the thin air, but manageable. I just couldn’t extract more lap time from it.”
The 23-year-old has often been praised for his consistency and calm approach, but high-altitude venues like Mexico and Austin appear to have exposed a weakness in how he handles low-grip conditions.
Stella: “A matter of driving style”
Stella believes that the root of the issue lies in the way the two McLaren drivers use their grip.
“Oscar attacks the car more aggressively, which can be a disadvantage when grip is low and the tyres slide easily,” he said. “Lando, on the other hand, tends to keep more margin on entry and builds up speed progressively. That helps in races and in conditions like this, where stability is limited.”
He compared qualifying in Mexico to a long-run scenario where tyres degrade and grip fades. “In that sense, it’s similar to what we see in races where Lando’s strengths become clear. But we know Oscar learns fast. This is just part of his growth as a driver.”
Norris’s “special” pole lap
While much attention was on Piastri’s performance, Stella was quick to credit Norris for a lap that the McLaren boss described as “exceptional.”
“It was a special lap — one of those that even the driver can’t fully explain,” he said. “Lando said himself, ‘I don’t know how I managed that.’ He’s been confident all weekend, and this performance shows how strong the car is again.”
Norris’s pole marked an important turnaround for McLaren after a series of races where setup indecision had cost them front-row opportunities.
Title implications and Piastri’s outlook
Piastri’s eighth-place grid position, which becomes seventh due to Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty, leaves him vulnerable in the championship battle. His lead over Norris could evaporate if both McLarens finish in their starting positions, with Norris poised to take over the championship lead by five points.
Piastri’s rival Max Verstappen will start fifth, creating a potential three-way dynamic at the front of the title race.
Despite the setback, Piastri remained composed and determined. “There’s a long run to Turn 1,” he said. “If I can get a good launch, there’s every chance to recover positions. The points are won on Sunday, not Saturday.”
As McLaren heads into Sunday’s race, Stella remains confident that the young Australian will rebound. “Oscar’s only in his third season. His learning curve has been incredible. Every weekend like this is part of the process.”
Lando Norris will start on pole alongside Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton lining up third. Piastri, meanwhile, will aim to turn his qualifying disappointment into another calculated fightback from the midfield.
