The Australian, during the Suzuka qualifying session, was just 44 thousandths of a second away from pole position, but it wasn’t enough to secure a spot on the front row.
No first row
In the spectacular qualifying session that took place in Suzuka during the early hours of the Italian morning, the one left with the greatest sense of disappointment is definitely Oscar Piastri. While both McLaren drivers were beaten by a phenomenal Max Verstappen, at least Lando Norris could console himself with second place and the chance to start from the front row.
In contrast, Oscar Piastri, despite being only 44 thousandths of a second away from the world champion’s time – who also set a new circuit record – will start tomorrow’s race from third place. Speaking after Q3, the Australian, who recently won the Chinese Grand Prix, took responsibility for missing pole position, explaining that he made a mistake during his final timed lap of the day.
Confidence for the race
“Having both cars in the top 3 is positive,” Oscar Piastri began. “I felt good for most of qualifying, especially at the beginning of Q3 (after the first attempt, the #81 car was in pole), but the last lap didn’t go as I wanted, and I left some margin on the table. We said at the start of the season that the gaps would be incredibly close, and today was proof of that.”
“Tomorrow, though, it’s all to play for, and we have a great car,” the Australian added confidently, looking ahead to the race. “We don’t know what the weather will be like, but this year we’ve been fast in both dry and wet conditions, so we should be there fighting for the win. Let’s see what we can do.”
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