Piastri ‘surprised to struggle so much’ after distant fifth in Barcelona

Oscar Piastri says he was surprised to be struggling for pace during the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, where he finished over half a minute behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

Lewis Hamilton won Sunday’s race in Spain by nearly 20 seconds, with Piastri coming home fifth but the best part of a minute adrift of the race winner. The Australian says the finishing position itself wasn’t his biggest cause for concern as he was just two places behind the lead McLaren, but he was unhappy with the pace he displayed.

“I was trying a lot of different things and running into a lot of different problems, so I think just struggling a lot with grip, tire life, obviously,” Piastri said. “I don't have any answers at the moment; I'm sure there will be some answers later, but I'm surprised to struggle so much.

“There was a few laps here and there that felt a little bit better, but that normally came at a price a few laps later. So, it's just not an easy afternoon at all. All I can hope is that we learn why it was so difficult. The points we gained were still reasonable, but obviously wanted the performance to be a lot stronger than it was.”

Piastri says McLaren’s overall competitiveness was respectable in the hands of Norris as the defending champion put the pressure on Mercedes, and that the two drivers had largely similar setups that should not have induced such a difference in performance.

“I think in qualifying we were definitely a lot closer, obviously," he noted. "And Lando, in the race, was able to challenge the Mercedes. I think clearly Ferrari have taken a big step forward this weekend. Even without the upgrades they had they've always been incredibly quick in the corners, and I think on a day like [Sunday] where you need that downforce and that grip to protect the tires, I think it was a big advantage.

“So, I think it's all perfectly explainable; we're always lacking that last tenth or two or, in my case [in Barcelona], a lot more than that. But when you're trying to chase that last little bit, things are a bit uncomfortable. You need to put the car in a place it doesn't always like to be, and that comes with some challenges.”