Piastri blames late tyre switch for qualifying slump to 12th at Brazilian GP

Oscar Piastri has attributed his disappointing 12th-place qualifying result at the Brazilian Grand Prix to McLaren switching to intermediate tyres too late in a rain-affected session at Interlagos on Friday. The Australian will start from 10th after grid penalties for power unit changes drop Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton behind him.

Piastri progressed through Q1 on full wet tyres without issue, but conditions improved enough during Q2 for teams to make the switch to intermediates. The timing of that call, he believes, proved decisive.

“I’d just finished a lap, but I think we probably went onto the inters a little bit too late and needed that extra lap or two to really get some temperature in them,” Piastri told media after the session. “Some of the lines I was using on the wets definitely didn’t work on the inters, so some things to review, of course, but I think with another lap and maybe slightly better decisions we could have been there.”

When asked whether a red flag had robbed him of the additional lap he needed, Piastri was careful not to single it out as the sole factor. “I definitely would have got one more lap in, but it’s the same for everybody. Everyone would have got another lap, so I’m not sure. I think there was definitely a lot more time out there, but you just need to be on the right tyre at the right time.”

While Piastri struggled, team-mate Lando Norris secured pole position, underlining the gap in fortune between the two McLaren drivers on the day. Norris currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship with 221 points; Piastri is seventh on 144.

Looking ahead to the race, Piastri acknowledged that further rain would make Sunday’s grand prix a stern test. “We’ll see what weather we get first and go from there. I think it’s going to be very challenging in the rain, so let’s see what we get,” he said.