P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Oscar Piastri believes people must judge Red Bull’s pace relative to its rivals to see “how many sandbags come out”
Max Verstappen was the fastest Red Bull driver in both Thursday’s practice sessions, but ended up in sixth place on the timesheets, while the reigning World Champion struggled. Verstappen suggested that other teams may have increased their engine performance to improve lap times. Piastri, on the other hand, was content with McLaren’s performance and felt they were in line with their expectations, placing third and fifth in the FP1 and FP2 sessions respectively. The FP2 session showed a mixed competitive order, with Mercedes leading, Alonso’s Aston Martin in third, Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari in fourth, and Piastri ahead of Verstappen. Both Piastri and Norris are optimistic about McLaren’s chances in the race, expecting a close competition in qualifying, with Red Bull still holding a slight advantage. Piastri and Norris mentioned the influence of wind on car performance, highlighting the challenge it poses on the track. Ultimately, both drivers expressed satisfaction with their team’s performance but acknowledged the need to address inconsistencies for better results.
