McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is adamant there is "no evidence" to suggest there is an issue with Oscar Piastri's car after the Australian declared his time deficit to team-mate Lando Norris "a mystery" following qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Piastri will start the 71-lap race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez from seventh on the grid after finishing a staggering six-tenths of a second behind polesitter Norris.
Across every practice session and through all three segments of qualifying, Piastri trailed Norris by a considerable deficit, yet for the most part felt comfortable with the car.
Trying to explain the gap, the championship leader said: "Being that far off when you feel like you've done a reasonable job is a difficult place to be. That’s my biggest concern at the moment.”
Asked to '100 per cent exclude' whether there was 'anything wrong' with Piastri's MCL39, Stella replied: "Every evidence, every piece of data, every indirect measurement or information we have tells us that there is no problem with the car, and we have no reason to suspect that's the case."
As to whether a change of chassis ahead of the next race in São Paulo was required, Stella added: "I know that in the history of Formula 1, there is this topic of changing the chassis, but I would change other components than the chassis, like the floor, the front wing.
"In reality, there's a rotation of parts. It's not like there are always the same parts on the car, so we have reasons to be reassured that there's no problem with the car.
"These are very, very unique conditions [in Mexico City, with the high altitude], and once you get the familiarity with what you have to do and what you have to feel, then you start to gain in every single corner, and then you can cash in quite a lot of lap time.
"So no concern with the car, and I'm sure Oscar will capitalise from the learning [in qualifying]."
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Piastri 'nothing to worry about'
Piastri faces the prospect of losing his championship lead for the first time since overhauling Norris with a win at the Saudi Arabian GP in April, should he be outscored by 15 points by the Briton in Mexico.
Asked by RacingNews365 whether he could explain Piastri's "mystery", Stella stated that what his driver was going through was "a recalibration exercise".
Relieved to see McLaren again has the fastest car after what he described as "some hesitations' of late, Stella then explained his drivers react in different ways to certain conditions.
"The fastest car is also a car that needs to be driven in a certain way, especially when you have conditions like here, and to some extent in Austin [last weekend's United States GP], with hot Tarmac, sliding tyres," said Stella.
"And the way in which you generate lap time is a way that comes relatively naturally for Lando, and less naturally for Oscar.
"Lando is a driver going on low grip, end of the stint, when the tyres are quite worn, used, the grip is low, and we see green sector, green sector, green sector. Oscar, instead, is more of a driver of high grip, and that's where he can exploit his incredible talent.
"At the same time, don't forget that while we talk about the leader in the drivers' championship, he's not even finished his third season in Formula 1.
"So, experiencing situations like we have here and in Austin is how you calibrate yourself as a driver. Oscar, every session, is learning a little bit as to what you need to do, what you need to feel, to say I'm fast now in these specific conditions, which, conversely, are more natural conditions for Lando.
"So, nothing to worry [about]. It's more of a calibration exercise for Oscar. I'm sure this calibration will pay off [in the race], and in any future event in which the regime in which the tyre and the car interact with the Tarmac is similar to here in Mexico, and like it was in Austin last week."
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