Oscar Piastri addresses red flag impact after shock early qualifying exit

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri downplayed suggestions that a late red flag caused his Q2 elimination at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Piastri qualified 12th in a rain-affected session at Interlagos, while his team-mate Lando Norris secured pole position. A late red flag caused by Rafael Camara's crash prevented several drivers from completing final flying laps.

Piastri explained that his qualifying exit was primarily due to tire strategy, noting that McLaren switched to intermediate tires too late to generate adequate temperature. Despite missing Q3, the Australian driver expressed confidence in the car's dry-weather baseline pace ahead of Sunday's race.