F1 News: Oscar Piastri Critical After Imola Qualifying- 'So Difficult To Do A Perfect Lap'

Oscar Piastri's promising P2 qualifying at Imola boosts his confidence ahead of the race tomorrow.

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (81) during a press / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Oscar Piastri secured an impressive second place in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Qualifying, behind Max Verstappen who secured pole position. Despite narrowly missing the front spot, the Australian driver expressed high confidence in McLaren's potential for the upcoming race.

During his post-qualifying interview, Piastri explained that he felt very comfortable in the car and his confidence is high for the Grand Prix tomorrow. He commented:

"It was pretty good, a little bit of a scruffy last corner but here it’s so, so difficult to do a perfect lap. So really happy. I’ve been really comfortable with the car from the moment we put it on track yesterday."

"So, so close to pole, but very happy. It’s been a little while since I’ve been back up here."

Acknowledging the ongoing dominance of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Piastri remains optimistic for the race tomorrow. He added:

"We’ll see what we can do [tomorrow]. I think we’ve definitely been on the pace all weekend. You can never count out Max and Red Bull of course, like we’ve just seen, but I think the confidence is high. Of course it’s not the easiest track to overtake on, but the confidence is high that we can do something good."

Closely following Piastri on the starting grid tomorrow is his McLaren teammate Lando Norris who will start the race from third position, alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who will start from fourth. The remainder of the top ten will comprise of; Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, and Nico Hulkenberg.