McLaren driver Oscar Piastri delivered a strong recovery drive in the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix 2025, turning around a frustrating qualifying result. The Australian finished fifth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, just behind teammate Lando Norris, who claimed pole, victory, and the championship lead by one point with four races to go.
Piastri, 24, started seventh after Carlos Sainz’s penalty, despite qualifying eighth. The thin air and low grip in Mexico didn’t match his driving style, making the MCL39 unstable in corners. A similar pattern was seen a week earlier in Austin. But this time, a targeted post-qualifying review changed the course of his weekend.
“After qualifying, we reviewed with Oscar extensively from a data, comment, video point of view,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
Turning Point: The Saturday Debrief
Stella explained how the team and driver worked together to find a different approach in challenging conditions.
“We extracted some important information in terms of how the car needs to be driven in these special low-grip conditions that we are facing here in Mexico, to some extent, similar to Austin.
“It looks like in this regime, you have to drive the car in a way that adapts to the fact that the car slides a lot and can slide and produce lap time.
“This is not necessarily the way in which Oscar feels naturally that he is producing lap time. So, we identified a few things that we could do with the car and a few things that he could do with the driving.
“Oscar should be very proud of himself of how he has handled the transition from yesterday to today.”
Piastri dropped to tenth after a chaotic start but recovered steadily through a well-executed two-stop strategy. However, he was frequently stuck in midfield traffic, which limited his potential. A late virtual safety car further blocked his chance to attack Oliver Bearman for fourth place.
A Key Learning Experience for the Title Fight
Despite the setbacks, Stella was impressed by Piastri’s response. “We could see in the race that he was applying this,” added Stella. “He definitely had a more competitive pace than yesterday.
“It’s a bit of a shame that he was not in condition to fully use this pace because we could not find the way to just get him out of traffic.
“He spent the entire race looking at the gearbox of the car ahead. But it’s important for Oscar that we go through this kind of experience in which we learn new tools to add to the toolbox because that’s how you become the most complete version of a Formula 1 driver.
“This is also important for the next four races in which we’re going to find, again, different conditions. So, we need to be ready for all of them. But I think Oscar should be very proud and happy with his race today.”
With the remaining rounds in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the season will test every aspect of driver adaptability. The hot Middle Eastern circuits and cool Vegas night race promise a wide range of challenges. Piastri’s improved flexibility behind the wheel could prove vital as the title battle intensifies.
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