Oscar Piastri has detailed he felt happier behind the wheel in Brazil compared to recent weeks during which his title margin was eroded.
Lando Norris took over the top of the drivers' standings last time out in Mexico following a dominant drive to victory, while Piastri could only manage fifth.
Norris was once again the driver in form on Friday in Brazil as he set the fastest lap during sprint qualifying to secure pole position for Saturday's race.
Piastri was third, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli lodged between the two title contenders.
Explaining the deficit to his team-mate in São Paulo, Piastri said: “The soft was just a bit different to what I expected. A couple of big moments on my first lap which wasn't ideal.
“That was a bit of a shame, but ultimately, I felt much happier today than the last couple of weeks.
“Practice went very well. Sprint qualifying, we changed a few things which took a little bit of getting used to again.
“Ultimately, pretty happy. I would have liked a little bit more but we can definitely fight with what we've got and it's a lot more points on Sunday.”
With heavy rain on the forecast for Saturday, the shorter race could take place in much different conditions compared to Friday.
Piastri is hopeful his car can remain competitive in wet weather, should the expected rainfall saturate the circuit.
“It’s going to be an interesting day,” he said. “Let's see what weather we get.
“I’ll try and take whatever opportunities there are. The pace in the car has been really good, so hopefully that translates to whatever we get.”
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look ahead to this weekend's São Paulo Grand Prix. Brazil being make-or-break for Max Verstappen's title chances is a lead discussion, as is whether Oscar Piastri will finally end his recent poor form.
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