Piastri explains why McLaren’s Mexico prospects are ‘very difficult to know’ after first day on track

Oscar Piastri was left feeling that McLaren’s prospects going forward at the Mexico City Grand Prix are “difficult to know” after the opening day of action on Friday.

Piastri was joined in Free Practice 1 by the squad’s reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli, with the Australian placing eighth on the timesheets ahead of the rookie in P17.

Lando Norris then returned to action later on in second practice and the Briton proved to be the closest challenger to pacesetter Charles Leclerc on the timesheets, ending the hour in P2 while Piastri placed in 10th.

It was an eventful Free Practice 2, with Piastri experiencing a close call with the barriers, but the 25-year-old felt that the day had been reasonable for McLaren.

“I think we looked okay, to be honest,” he explained after the second session. “Ferrari have looked very strong, I would say, but I think we look all right. My lap on the soft in FP2 was pretty scruffy at the end, but I think it’s going reasonably well.

“It’s always very tricky here in Mexico with the conditions, and I feel like the track’s improving quite quickly. But it felt like it was an okay day.”

Looking ahead to Saturday, Piastri was reluctant to draw too many conclusions about what the papaya squad might expect, particularly given the presence of numerous rookie drivers across many teams during Free Practice 1.

“It’s very difficult to know,” the nine-time race winner said. “I think especially on a day like today, where so many people missed FP1, it’s always a little bit tricky. But I feel like there’s plenty to learn and try to improve for tomorrow.”

Randy Singh, McLaren’s Senior Racing Director, gave a positive assessment of how Friday had gone for the team, particularly in terms of Fornaroli’s performance.

“The day was really good,” he summarised. “I want to thank Leo, he drove in FP1, we had a lot of tests, a lot of experiments on his car, to help put the car in the right spot for this event. Which is tricky with the high altitude.

“He did a really good job. We spent most of FP1 doing that, getting the car in a good spot, then in FP2, trying to dial the performance in a little bit more.

“Today was reasonable for us, but the top teams are the same and it's very tight at the front for the top four. I'd say the midfield looks a lot closer than it has been at recent races so Qualifying will be tight.

“This is a circuit where people are going to have issues managing temperatures on Sunday, so there's going to be some challenges that carry forward to Sunday.

"You saw a lot of lock-ups today and I think it will be the same on Sunday as well.”