Oscar Piastri admitted that McLaren’s competitive outlook for the remainder of the Mexico City Grand Prix is tough to predict following Friday’s opening practice sessions. Piastri shared the track during Free Practice 1 with reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli, finishing eighth while the rookie placed 17th. Lando Norris returned for Free Practice 2 to secure second place behind pacesetter Charles Leclerc, while Piastri dropped to 10th on the timesheets.
Practice Progress and Challenges
The second practice session proved eventful as Piastri narrowly avoided the barriers, though he ultimately considered the opening day satisfactory for the team. According to Piastri, Ferrari looked very strong, and despite a messy final lap on the soft compound tires during FP2, things were progressing reasonably well. He noted that track conditions in Mexico are always tricky and improve rapidly, but overall it felt like an acceptable day.
When looking ahead to the weekend, Piastri remained hesitant to make definitive predictions about McLaren’s potential, especially because many teams fielded rookie drivers during the first practice session. He explained that a day with so many drivers missing FP1 makes the pecking order very difficult to know, while adding that there is still plenty to learn and improve ahead of Saturday.
Team Assessment on Performance
McLaren’s Senior Racing Director, Randy Singh, shared an upbeat evaluation of Friday’s running, singling out Fornaroli’s contribution. Singh thanked the reserve driver for completing numerous tests and experiments during FP1 to help position the car correctly for the challenges of high-altitude racing. Singh stated that Fornaroli executed a really good job before the team shifted focus to extracting more performance during FP2.
Singh added that while the day was reasonable for McLaren, the top teams remain closely matched at the front among the top four constructors. He highlighted that the midfield appears much tighter than in recent events, pointing to a tightly contested qualifying session. Looking toward the grand prix, Singh noted that managing car temperatures will present significant challenges on Sunday, predicting that drivers will continue to experience lock-ups similar to those seen on Friday.
