Andrea Stella has backed Oscar Piastri to bounce back after his disappointing end to qualifying at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The McLaren team principal labelled the Australian "very strong from a mental point of view" and championed the "serenity" he possessed after only being able to secure fifth on the grid in Sin City.
With Lando Norris on pole position, Piastri will need his team-mate to face considerable adversity during the 50-lap race to avoid the points gap between the pair increasing.
There are only three rounds remaining, including the current weekend in Nevada, and the nine-time grand prix winner trails the Briton by 24 points in the standings as they bid for their first F1 drivers' title.
Reflecting on Piastri's difficult result in the grid-setting session, Stella underlined the poor luck his driver has been on the receiving end of.
"When it comes to Oscar, events — and let me call it 'luck' at the moment — are not necessarily on his side," the Italian told media, including RacingNew365. "Like, having a yellow flag in the most important lap of the qualifying session...
Piastri was partly affected by the late yellow flag that came out after Charles Leclerc spun, but was also impacted by encountering a Racing Bulls car on his inside as he approached Turn 12, where the Ferrari had just recovered from.
It forced the McLaren driver to also go wide and into the run-off area, ruining his final attempt.
"And going through that when actually, Oscar was in a very good position from a timing point of view, because I think it would have been the last car to take the flag and complete the lap," Stella continued. "That's just bad luck."
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Piastri processing power
Addressing how Piastri has conducted himself of late, as his lead in the championship was whittled down from a comfortable advantage to a deficit nearly the size of a grand prix victory, Stella praised his driver.
He detailed how the 24-year-old is handling this difficult phase of the season, whilst underlining what he believes can be achieved during the race.
"But Oscar himself is very, very strong from a mental point of view," Stella added. "I think he understands very well how to process these factors.
"We were in the debriefing... and he was talking very calmly. Just gave a sense of serenity, if anything, because he knew that he had done his best.
"But some events are simply not under our control. If there's anything I can do, it's just to reinforce some of the things that he knows already, and he knows very well how to process even an unfortunate event in a positive way.
"Such that we enter the race actually with Oscar — I'm sure he will be in contention for a podium finish, and he will also be in contention for the victory."
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