Piastri: "Wasting time is a bit mysterious"

The Australian driver said the car felt normal but the difference was greater than expected in each session.

"Everything feels normal, but the difference is big. The difference was the same throughout this session and the weekend. I thought I could pick it up in some places, I made small improvements, but that's about it."

“I thought I did a good lap in qualifying and the car felt okay, so the lack of lap time is a bit of a mystery,” he said.

Piastri noted that the challenges experienced in Austin were similar to those this weekend.

"In some ways, they're not that different from Austin. What surprised me the most here is that the gap was the same every session. I felt like I was running good laps all weekend, but we were always four or five tenths behind."

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

"This is not a good sign. Some of the issues that we struggled with in Austin continued to be challenging here," he said.

The McLaren driver said he was unhappy with the result but that the lack of a clear cause made the situation even more difficult.

"I'm a little disappointed in the outcome. There's a lot I could think about, but being so far behind, especially when you think you're doing a good job, is a tough situation. That's what I'm most upset about right now," he said.

Regarding his pre-race expectations, Piastri stated that he was aiming to gain position on the long straight.

"I'll do my best. This has the longest starting straight of the year, so I'll try to gain a few places there. If we can unlock the car's potential, it could be a fun race. We just have to unlock that potential," he said.