F1 | Singapore GP qualifying – Piastri: “I wanted more,” but the Australian can still smile
Oscar Piastri could only manage third in Singapore GP qualifying. The championship leader, however, can still be pleased with outperforming his teammate and title rival, Lando Norris.
In the last three races, McLaren has not appeared as dominant as earlier in the season. It should be noted that Monza, Baku, and Singapore—either with long straights or tight, slow corners—are not circuits that play to the strengths of the MCL39, which lie in aerodynamic downforce. Despite this, championship leader Oscar Piastri secured third place and finished ahead of teammate Lando Norris, who was only fifth. Here are the words of the Australian following Singapore qualifying.
“Obviously, I wanted more, but I don’t think we had four tenths in hand to take pole, so in the end, I’m quite happy. It’s been a good weekend so far; it was a clean session, so it went well for us,” Piastri said.
Piastri’s session was solid, without any major surprises, and free of mistakes, unlike what happened in Baku. The Mark Webber-protected driver now has a good opportunity to extend his championship lead, currently 25 points. However, starting ahead of him in the front row will be Max Verstappen, whose presence looms ever larger in the minds of McLaren drivers.
Additionally, Mercedes seems to have made significant progress with recent updates to their car. Russell’s pole and Antonelli’s fourth place signal this clearly. Brackley’s team could therefore play a decisive role in the championship battle between Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen.
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