Dejected Oscar Piastri laments 'pretty shocking' qualifying effort

Oscar Piastri cut a frustrated figure following a "disappointing" grid-setting session at the Madring, which left him down in seventh whilst his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris nabbed pole.

Piastri struggled to keep his MCL40 in the groove, and it cost him, with his best time approaching five-tenths of a second slower than Norris in the sister car.

The Australian had fared better in qualifying of late, but will have considerable work to do during the Spanish Grand Prix to claw his way back up the order.

Reflecting on the session, the 25-year-old offered a blunt appraisal of his performance.

"The first lap wasn't too bad, but the second lap was pretty shocking. Disappointing," Piastri said to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying.

"Turn 1 didn't start well, and a few places were quite a bit better than the lap before, but once you get out of the rhythm, it makes the lap very tough."

Piastri 'wants' qualifying re-do

Heading into qualifying, Piastri had been relatively pleased with the performance of his McLaren, but was left wishing he could have a do-over.

"Not a great session," the nine-time grand prix winner added.

"The pace has been reasonable this weekend. It's just been about being there consistently.

"Unfortunately, one of those sessions you want again."

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