BREAKING: Oscar Piastri Reveals Costly Error that Denied Him M…read more
Late Lock-Up Costs Piastri Miami Sprint Pole
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri believes a single, critical mistake during sprint qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix prevented him from securing pole position, leaving him to start Saturday’s sprint race from the front row in second place.
Piastri ended the session just 0.045 seconds behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who snatched pole. The Australian driver explained that his final lap in SQ3 was compromised by locking a wheel in the braking zone for Turn 17, the circuit’s final corner.
“It wasn’t the best lap ever,” Piastri commented, reflecting on the costly moment. “I had a lock-up at the last corner which was probably where the pole went away.”
Despite the error, Piastri expressed satisfaction with his P2 starting spot, stating it’s “still a good result” from which he can “fight from there in the sprint tomorrow.” He added that he feels positive and there is still “a bit more pace to unlock hopefully” ahead of the main qualifying session.
Piastri’s performance saw him once again lead the McLaren charge, qualifying ahead of teammate Lando Norris, who secured the third spot on the grid.
Norris was pleased with his own qualifying effort, describing it as “good” and “close,” particularly after facing difficulties in earlier races this season. He noted that simply putting a clean lap together felt positive. While acknowledging the strong pace of competitors like Mercedes and the tight margins, Norris is focusing purely on the current weekend’s challenge, putting past results and memories of his first win at this track behind him to concentrate on extracting maximum performance.
