Source: Official Team Post via X
Jolyon Palmer Analyzes Oscar Piastri's Q2 Setback in Mexico
Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe believe Oscar Piastri's early exit from Q2 at the Mexico City GP was due to tyre temperature mismanagement. Despite starting strong in Q1, Piastri couldn't carry the momentum into Q2, missing out on the top ten shootout.
Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe have weighed in on the disappointing qualifying result for McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix. Piastri, who qualified 13th, failed to make it to the Q3 shootout for the first time since 2024, a setback attributed to mismanaged tyre temperatures.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has been a challenging venue for Piastri, who has struggled here for three consecutive seasons. Last year, he finished far behind his teammate Lando Norris, who won and took the drivers' standings lead. This time, despite starting Q1 impressively by ranking fourth, Piastri couldn't maintain that form in Q2.
According to Palmer, Piastri seemed to have lost control of his tyre temperatures. "He must have dropped those tyres out of the temperature window," Palmer noted, analyzing Piastri's Q2 performance on F1TV. After a misstep on his first flying lap, Piastri couldn't recover, leaving him nearly a second behind his teammate Norris on a similar run plan.
Hinchcliffe concurred, pointing out that Piastri's issues began in Turn 6 and continued through the esses in the middle sector, leading to a failure to challenge for a Q3 spot. However, Piastri did manage a personal best in the middle sector, but it wasn't enough to offset time lost elsewhere.
Adding a twist to the story, Piastri gained a grid position after Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson was disqualified for a technical infringement. Lawson's failure to reduce power post-lap led to his exclusion, a decision that stirred debate among fans and pundits alike.
Ultimately, Piastri's Q2 time was 1:17.646, with improvements in only seven of the 22 mini-sectors. While Hinchcliffe saw the middle sector as a significant problem, the data suggests Piastri's challenges were more pronounced in the first and third sectors.
This underperformance at a crucial point in the season leaves McLaren and Piastri with some strategic thinking to do as they head into the race weekend, hoping to convert this setback into a learning opportunity for future races.