Oscar Piastri estimates that “it could have been worse” in Las Vegas
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri acknowledged that Ferrari's strong performance in Las Vegas was not what his team had hoped for in the heated battle for the constructors' title. However, he believes that it could have been worse.
Ferrari was undoubtedly the favorite before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Although they didn’t manage to win the race, the Italians still significantly narrowed the gap to McLaren in the constructors’ standings.
There are only 24 points difference between the two teams, which suggests a battle until the last race in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull is also still in the running, with an additional gap of 29 points behind Ferrari.
Although Mercedes was unbeatable on the Las Vegas circuit after dominating all the sessions, Ferrari maximized its performance. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth respectively. As for the McLaren drivers, with Lando Norris in the lead, they finished sixth and seventh.
Oscar Piastri optimistic
« We knew that this circuit would probably be more difficult for us and we expected Ferrari to perform well,” the Australian explained after the race. « It is obviously not ideal that they gained points on us, but I think it could have been worse. Let’s see what happens, it will obviously be tight until the end of the year, but I hope the weekend in Qatar will be good for us. »
Teams are now preparing to travel to Qatar for the final Sprint weekend of the season. The fast corners and the smoothness of the track should theoretically suit the McLaren car.
With such small gaps between the leading teams, the Australian hopes to avoid new incidents like his penalty for a jumped start in Las Vegas, where he started from the eighth position on the grid. Asked about the impact of this penalty on his race, Oscar Piastri said: “I didn’t think I would be that far forward, but apparently I had to be. I don’t think it changed much.”
« Yes, it made the start and the middle of the race a bit more difficult, but I don’t think it affected the outcome. We just weren’t fast enough, so there are things to review, that’s for sure. »
McLaren will have to outperform Ferrari in the last two races to hope to maintain its advantage in this particularly competitive constructors’ championship.
