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Oscar Piastri confident McLaren is ‘back on the pace’ with new front wing verdict
By Elizabeth Blackstock,
19 days ago
McLaren has arrived at the Austrian Grand Prix boasting a new front wing, and the change seems to be paying off. In qualifying for the sprint race, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified in second and third, with Piastri stating that McLaren is “back on the pace.”
The McLaren results may only be relevant for sprint qualifying, but the success of the new front wing has both drivers confident that the team can perform throughout the duration of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Oscar Piastri: New McLaren front wing “working well”
McLaren has been steadily narrowing the gap between itself and the dominant Red Bull Racing team for months, and a new front wing introduced this weekend has already given Oscar Piastri confidence that the team has what it takes to challenge at the front.
Reflecting on his third-place qualifying position, Piastri said: “I think the position is quite good, obviously. But the last lap, [there were] a couple corners I could have tidied up.
“I think it’s nice to at least know where the time is; obviously a bit of a rough one last weekend, so we feel like we’re back on the pace, and the new front wing was working well.”
The front wing is designed to improve airflow, which will be critical at the short-and-fast Austrian Grand Prix track.
The new wing geometry should better work with the Woking team’s updated front suspension and better even out what the team considers to be an imbalance in the MCL38’s performance between low- and high-speed corners.
After the Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella noted that all teams have been struggling to adapt this “generation of car” to compete equally well at various kinds of circuits. This update seeks to rectify those problems.
The end result of these changes is a more confident Piastri. Asked by F1TV if he feels he can win, he said, “I think so.
“I mean, the gap to Max is not massive, and I know there were a couple big mistakes on that lap.
“So we’re definitely in the mix.”
Norris is confident — “at the minute”
Meanwhile, Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris will start alongside polesitter Max Verstappen on the front row of the sprint race grid.
Asked how he feels about Saturday’s race, Norris admitted, “I think reasonably good, to be honest.
“I never got quite comfortable, probably until my final lap, so I’m happy with that. It’s as close as it’s been all year, so no difference.
“It must have been a good lap by Max, and it’s a good position for the race tomorrow.”
Will McLaren be able to take the fight to Verstappen thanks to this updated wing? Norris is confident.
“From what we see at the moment, yes. But otherwise, I’m not sure.”
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