‘Massive gap’: Oscar details McLaren mission improbable
Ian Chadband |
Putting on a stoic front after his miserable start to the season, Oscar Piastri was happy to outline just exactly what would bring a smile back to his face in the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
“Start the race — that would probably help!” joshed the self-deprecating Aussie.
Hoping to at last make it to ‘lights out’ in Suzuka after failing to get to the starting grid in either Melbourne or Shanghai, Piastri wasn’t about to make any grandiose predictions about round three of the F1 Championship during Thursday’s media day.
“Just to take part in the grand prix, that would be good. We’ll try and at least see the lights come on this week and go from there,” smiled the 24-year-old.
“But I think we kind of know where we sit in the pecking order, so we’re not expecting too many surprises there. Just executing a solid weekend would be good.”
Piastri missed out in Melbourne because of a reconnaissance-lap crash and then got scuppered by a power unit electrical problem in Shanghai, where his teammate, world champ Lando Norris, also didn’t start.
The pair then had to watch another one-two for Mercedes, with Piastri outlining just how far behind the German team McLaren still are.
“Obviously, we’re optimistic that we can turn things round quickly and we’ve proven we can do that,” said Piastri.
“It is a massive gap to close, though. Even the sprint race in China, the gap is up to a second a lap that we’re lacking.
“So even if we bring some of the upgrades we had in 2023 that vaulted us towards the front of the grid, we need more than one of those to close the gap … we need to find quite a lot from various areas.”
Without any track time in the grand prix races themselves, Piastri shrugged: “Just trying to put in good performances, that’s all I can do. I’ve been happy with my qualifying so far this year.
“It’s just I’ve not had any chances to show it in the race. Clearly the picture is that we’re we’re behind Mercedes and Ferrari, so all I can do is just when I’m on track, show what I can do.”
Norris offered a more upbeat assessment of McLaren’s chances than his teammate as he told reporters: “We’ve won the last two championships and we won the drivers’ last year because we could build the best car on the grid, and I’m confident we can get back to doing that this year.
“You have to be patient, but, yes, I have a good belief in the team and I think we can have the best car this year.”
For the moment, that seems a long way off, with McLaren third in the overall standings, already 80 points behind leaders Mercedes and 49 adrift of second-placed Ferrari.
Red Bull have been struggling too, and Max Verstappen was not in the mood to answer questions from one particular British journalist on Thursday, as he refused to take part in the press conference until the scribe had left.
Verstappen had objected to a question the journalist had asked after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix about whether he regretted a collision with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix which had earned him a time penalty and potentially championship-winning points.
AAP