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Oscar Piastri

McLaren’s used-tyre gamble leaves Piastri out of Q3 in Mexico

Archive photograph: Oscar Piastri · 2026-03-15Archive photo · 2026-03-15 · Liauzh · CC BY 4.0

Oscar Piastri was eliminated in Q2 after McLaren kept him on used soft tyres, hoping to reach the top-10 shootout without using a fresh set.

GPBeat · Newsroom01 Nov 2026, 20:09 · 1 min

McLaren’s used-tyre gamble left Oscar Piastri out of Q3 in Mexico City. He was 13th quickest in Q2, 0.368 seconds short of the top-10 shootout.

Piastri had looked quick in Q1 and was expected to reach the top 10 easily, but needed a strong lap late in Q2. McLaren kept him on used soft tyres rather than fitting fresh ones, hoping to reach Q3 without using a new set.

Piastri was unsure what had happened to the rear grip of his McLaren.

Sources 01
  1. SOURCEOscar Piastri suffers embarrassing early exit as McLaren gamble backfiresRacingNews365 English

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