Piastri seeks redemption as Mercedes surge on pole

Oscar Piastri, who finished sixth in Saturday’s sprint race, said McLaren hoped to make a good start.

Although Mercedes is currently the fastest name on the grid, Ferrari has also made impressive starts.

“We will do our best to make a good start and keep the tires at the top, which is an important factor in the sprint,” Piastri said.

“The speed of the car will also be very important, so let’s see what we can unlock in one night to gain more points on the board.”

But Piastri, speaking at the drivers’ ceremony on Sunday, sounded less optimistic.

“There is no point in lying to ourselves; we are one step behind,” he said Sky Sports F1 coverage.

“Yesterday we came pretty close to optimizing what we had and we’re still half a second behind.”