Piastri’s Painful P5 in Vegas: A Qualifying Session Slipping Away
So, here’s the situation as it unfolded in Las Vegas — and honestly, it’s the kind of session that would leave any driver shaking their head. Oscar Piastri, who had been feeling confident heading into qualifying, ended up with a P5 that he openly admitted was “tough to take.” And when you hear everything that happened around him, it makes total sense why.
Going into Q3, Piastri genuinely believed a strong result was coming. The pace was there, the car felt good, and even with the mixed, unpredictable conditions on a wet Vegas street circuit, things seemed to be shaping up nicely. But then came the moment that changed everything — a sudden yellow flag triggered by Charles Leclerc spinning at Turn 12. Piastri, who was on what looked like a promising lap, had to immediately back off. His priority was simple: slow down quickly enough not to risk a penalty. Naturally, that killed the lap time.
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And as if that wasn’t already frustrating, slowing down opened the door for Isack Hadjar to make an aggressive move up the inside. Piastri ended up taking the run-off just to avoid contact. Even Jenson Button, watching on, called the whole thing “strange.” But Piastri didn’t point fingers. He stayed calm, saying his only focus was respecting the yellow flag. That’s the kind of disciplined approach that shows exactly why he’s in a title fight.
But this isn’t just about one moment. Piastri’s last few races have been tough — five rounds without a podium — and while he insists it’s not part of a recurring theme, the bad luck definitely hasn’t helped. The bigger picture puts it in perspective: he’s now 24 points behind his teammate and championship leader Lando Norris, who starts on pole in Vegas. That makes the P5 sting even more, because every grid slot matters in a title fight this tight.
Still, even with all that, Piastri remains optimistic about race day. He emphasized that the pace is absolutely there — in the dry, in the wet, across all sessions. And with Las Vegas known for chaos, overtakes, and unpredictable action, he isn’t writing anything off. A podium? He believes it’s possible. A fight for the win? He thinks the car can do it.
At the end of the day, this qualifying session will go down as one where things simply slipped out of Piastri’s control. Yellow flags, tricky conditions, and rivals getting bold — it all played a part. But he isn’t defeated. If anything, he’s gearing up for a comeback under the bright Vegas lights, ready to turn a frustrating Saturday into a Sunday surge.
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