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Oscar Piastri

Piastri puzzled by lack of grip after Mexico City Q2 exit

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

Oscar Piastri qualified 13th in Mexico City and said a new tyre set fitted in Q2 had no grip. RacingNews365 reported that he had been kept on used softs for a late attempt.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

Oscar Piastri’s qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix ended in Q2 on 31 October 2026: he was 13th quickest, 0.368 seconds short of Q3. Afterwards, he said he could not explain the lack of rear grip on his McLaren.

Piastri had looked quick in Q1 but needed a strong lap late in Q2. RacingNews365 reported that McLaren kept him on used soft tyres for that attempt, hoping to progress without fitting a fresh set.

Speaking after the session, Piastri said a new set fitted during Q2 had “no grip” and the balance had felt “completely different”. Whether it was the set used for the late attempt is unclear. He expected the team to look into what had happened.

Sources 02
  1. SOURCEOscar Piastri suffers embarrassing early exit as McLaren gamble backfiresRacingNews365 English
  2. PRIMARY SOURCEPiastri reflects on 'bizarre' Q2 exit in MexicoFormula 1