Oscar Piastri rued a lock-up that cost him pole position for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint race, but he remains confident McLaren is in the “fight”.
The championship leader missed out on a third Sprint pole of his career as Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli beat Piastri’s time by 0.045 seconds.
Earlier on, in the only free practice session of the weekend, the Australian topped the timing sheets as McLaren laid down an early marker.
However, the Mercedes duo looked quick throughout Sprint qualifying, with George Russell setting the fastest lap time in SQ1.
But it was his Italian team-mate who stole the show, becoming the youngest polesitter in the history of the sport.
Speaking after the session in the media pen, the 24-year-old was in relatively high spirits despite losing out to the Mercedes of Antonelli.
“I’m reasonably happy,” Piastri said. “I mean, it wasn’t the best lap ever.
“I had a lock-up into the last corner, which I think was probably where pole went away. But, no, P2 is still a good result.
“We can still fight from there in the Sprint tomorrow, so all in all, pretty happy.”
The McLaren driver, however, believes there is still more performance to extract from the car ahead of tomorrow’s Sprint race as he aims to extend his points lead.
He added: “I think we’ve got a bit more pace to unlock, hopefully.
“So, yeah, feeling positive still and trying to make up a spot tomorrow in the Sprint before we get stuck into where the big points are.”
Second row ‘not good enough’ for Norris
Just a tenth adrift of Antonelli’s pole-setting benchmark, Norris secured third place in SQ3 in the sister McLaren, a little over half a tenth behind team-mate Piastri.
“Good and close, close qualifying, but it felt good,” Norris said. “Happy just to get a good lap in there,
“Yeah, it was close, so not much more I could ask for.”
The Miami International Autodrome holds special significance for Norris, having been the scene of his breakthrough maiden Grand Prix win just one year ago.
But he was still left dissatisfied after the Sprint qualifying session.
“Of course, a lot of good memories here, but at the same time, you forget about it,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter.
“It’s in the past and concentrating on this weekend and today’s performance, which was, I think, in a good ballpark.
“Obviously, not good enough, but shows how close it is, shows how quick the Mercedes are and both of us behind.
“So a bit of a job to do for the Sprint race tomorrow, but close enough that we can still turn in for a pole tomorrow.”
READ MORE – Lando Norris denies Oscar Piastri has ‘momentum’ in F1 title race
