Piastri admits Mercedes pace leaves McLaren ‘A long way off’

Oscar Piastri didn’t hide his mixed feelings after taking fifth place in the Sprint Shootout at Shanghai, a week after the reconnaissance‑lap mistake that ruined his home Grand Prix. The McLaren driver clocked a 1:32.224, earning a spot between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the grid. While encouraged by the team’s overall step forward, highlighted by Lando Norris’s strong third place, Piastri stressed that Mercedes’ advantage was “really impressive” and remains the benchmark McLaren must chase. 

Speaking to F1’s official channels, he noted that switching from medium to soft tyres delivered a clear improvement, yet the gap to the front was still too large for comfort. He pointed out that the car performed well in Shanghai’s opening sector but faded dramatically in the final one, where Mercedes pulled away. McLaren will now analyse that weakness carefully ahead of Saturday’s Sprint qualifying and the early‑morning Sprint race.