Oscar Piastri: McLaren handled Mexico altitude “better than I was expecting”

McLaren's Oscar Piastri expressed optimism about his car's performance at the high altitude of Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. Despite a tough qualifying simulation, Piastri stated that the conditions were not as difficult as initially feared. The circuit's elevation of over 2,200 metres above sea level posed challenges such as reduced downforce and poor cooling.

Piastri acknowledged that his soft-tyre lap in practice was messy, but believed the team's overall pace was solid. He admitted that Ferrari looked strong, but expressed confidence that cleaning up his mistakes would improve his position in the order. Piastri noted that the low grip was a common challenge across the track due to the current regulations.

He dismissed the idea that Ferrari's smaller turbo would give them a significant advantage at altitude, suggesting that Ferrari's straight-line speed was lacking.