It was a weekend to forget for Oscar Piastri at the United States Grand Prix, and after a messy Sprint that ended with both McLarens taken out at Turn 1, the Australian found himself searching for answers again on Saturday.

Qualifying didn’t bring much relief either, as Piastri struggled to get comfortable behind the wheel of his MCL39 and ended up only sixth on the grid.

Oscar Piastri’s Result on Saturday in Austin

It wasn’t the worst qualifying result, but it was far from what Piastri expected, especially for someone leading the Drivers’ Championship, and while teammate Lando Norris managed to secure a front-row start alongside Max Verstappen, Piastri was left wondering what went wrong.

Things just never really clicked for Piastri in Austin, and from the first laps of qualifying, it was clear that he wasn’t getting the same feel from the car as Norris. The balance seemed off, and the unpredictable handling of the McLaren made it even tough for him to find confidence.

Speaking after the session, Piastri admitted he was puzzled by how difficult things felt out there. “It was just a tricky session,” he said. “I didn’t really feel terribly comfortable out there, and I think the lap time shows. A tricky session but it’s still a long race tomorrow, a lot can happen so we’ll try and make up some ground.”

Starting on the third row, Oscar Piastri feels the US Grand Prix weekend has “just not clicked” for him so far.https://t.co/LqwWgxonsp

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 19, 2025

Friday’s Sprint crash with Nico Hulkenberg and Norris might have caused some hidden damage, but Piastri quickly ruled that out, “No, I don’t think so. The car was back in one piece and as far as I’m aware, set up how we intended. It all felt normal, it’s just the kind of behaviour that we’ve had a couple of times through the season came out to play again today.”

That “behavior” he mentioned refers to how the McLaren sometimes reacts unexpectedly in certain corners, particularly when track temperatures rise. Austin’s heat and bumpy surface made things more unpredictable, and that cost Piastri precious confidence when it mattered most.

Lando Norris on Fire and Piastri Searching for Grip

While Piastri was left scratching his head, Norris looked more at home around the Circuit of The Americas as the Brit topped SQ1 and SQ2 the previous day and came within a tenth of taking pole from Verstappen in the qualifying session.

Asked if he felt the balance of power shifting toward Norris, Piastri didn’t agree but admitted that he’s had to work harder this weekend. “I feel like it was a good weekend, apart from, obviously the race result,” he said. “I think here, yes, has been a struggle for me. I don’t feel like I’ve made any major mistakes. So from a driving side of things, it’s just not clicked.”

When pressed further on what caused the drop-off, Piastri pointed to a lack of predictability and said, “Just a little bit unpredictable. I think it was very tight for the positions ahead of me, so I think compared to yesterday it didn’t feel quite as comfortable or as quick but yeah, some things to try and look at and see why it was so tough.”

However, Piastri remains optimistic, as he’ll start Sunday’s race from sixth, just behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with Verstappen leading the grid once again and Norris beside him in second.

While his Sprint DNF means he missed out on valuable points, Piastri still holds a 22-point lead over Norris in the championship and remains 55 points ahead of Verstappen, and there’s no reason for panic just yet. The Australian knows that form can swing quickly in Formula 1, and one good start or a clever strategy could easily put him back in contention.