Piatri loses 1 tenth in curve 1 - still fourth in the qualifying of Hungary

Piatri loses 1 tenth in curve 1 - still fourth in the qualifying of Hungary

McLaren driver Oscar Piatri is satisfied with the qualifying result at the Grand Prix of Hungary in 2023. After a strong appearance, he secured fourth place in qualification, while his teammate Lando Norris took third place.

Piatri explains that he was optimistic that McLaren could keep up with the top teams. He is encouraged by the performance of his team and emphasizes that McLaren has shown that they can still be at the forefront, also on a route with different conditions than in Silverstone, where McLaren had second and third place in qualifying.

the rookie admits that his own round in Hungary qualifying was not optimal. He states that he lost time, especially in the first curve and in curve. Nevertheless, he was able to close the gap to Norris again and is satisfied with having reached fourth place, even if he couldn't lie down. In the qualifying duel against Norris it is now 1:10 in his view.

Piatri also mentions that it was very narrow in the entire field of drivers and that only a small difference would have been decisive. He expects a different race than in Silverstone, with more tire wear and more pit stops. Nevertheless, it is optimistic and sees the race as a good test for McLaren, since Budapest is a completely different route.

He also emphasizes that the updates that McLaren have carried out on the car in the past few weeks have a large proportion of the team's upswing. Piatri now also has the new front wing available, but hardly feels a difference in the car. He explains that the car still has similar weaknesses, but the new parts have improved the lap times.

Originally, further updates were planned for Hungary, but these were postponed. Piatri finds it encouraging to have potential for improvement and is confident that McLaren can continue to play in the future. He mentions that the teams slowly begin to focus on development for 2024.

Overall, Piatri is optimistic about the race on Sunday and hopes that McLaren can confirm the strong form to achieve further good results.