Overtaking barely possible at the US Grand Prix? McLaren star Oscar Piastri sounds the alarm

In the end, it was only enough for seventh place: Oscar Piastri struggled to get up to speed in qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas and initially finished behind his team-mate Lando Norris. However, because the Formula 1 world champion went off the track whilst on his way to setting a personal best, his lap time was disallowed. As a result, he dropped back to eighth place behind Piastri.

For the ambitious racing driver from Melbourne, that was little consolation. When asked whether his weekend had been a bit of a rollercoaster so far, he replied matter-of-factly: “I don’t know if there have been any ‘ups’ at all, but yes, the whole race weekend so far has simply been very tough. We’re lacking pace, and that raises a few questions.”

Oscar Piastri: Difficulties expected

“The car has the potential to be fast; it’s just very difficult to drive,” said Piastri, echoing Norris’s comments. “It’s been a real challenge right from the first lap, so it’s no great surprise that we’ve ended up where we are,” he added in his usual dry manner.

“We’ve tried a lot of things, but nothing seems to be working,” the 25-year-old Australian went on to say. “We didn’t expect any of the changes we made before the final practice session to make a huge difference either. But it turned out to be harder than expected to put in a good lap.”

Looking ahead to the race, Piastri also issued a warning. “As far as the bumps are concerned, it’s actually a bit better on large sections of the track than in previous years. But there’s a bump in the braking zone for the first corner that’s a bit like a motocross jump. And the bump at the entrance to Turn 19 isn’t much better either.”

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“In qualifying, it’s not such a big deal, because you brake after the bumps. But in the race, the braking point will shift right onto the bump, especially if you’re in the process of overtaking someone. But we’ve spoken to the FIA about it and I’m sure they’ll find a solution for next year,” added the nine-time Grand Prix winner.