The McLaren driver was quick in Q1 but could only manage 13th in Q2, with a team mate who topped the same session.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was knocked out in Q2 of Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying, setting the 13th quickest time after fourth in Q1. He said a fresh set of tyres had no grip and that the car's balance felt completely different. Team mate Lando Norris topped Q2 and starts from P6.
Oscar Piastri went into Mexico City qualifying looking fast and came out of it on the sidelines. The McLaren driver was eliminated in Q2 on Saturday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and he admits he is not sure what happened.
He had been fourth fastest in the opening phase, so his exit came as a surprise. In Q2 he aborted a late effort and then could not find enough speed on his next attempt, which left him with the 13th quickest time and a place on the grid in P13.
A problem with the rear
Over the radio Piastri reported that the rear end was not gripping, and he was still short of an explanation once the session had ended. He said the fresh set fitted for Q2 simply had no grip, and that the balance of the car was completely different for reasons he could not pin down. McLaren will look into it, he said, but for now he called the whole thing very bizarre.
The result stung more because of what happened on the other side of the garage. Team mate Lando Norris, the reigning World Champion, topped Q2 and will start Sunday's race from P6.
A hard season so far
Under the new-for-2026 regulations Piastri has struggled to reproduce the form he showed last season. His last win is more than a year behind him, and he has not been on the podium since Miami in May.
In the Teams' Championship McLaren are level with Red Bull in P3. Piastri said his aim for the rest of the weekend is to move up as many places as he can and try to reach the points, though he added that the first job is to understand what went wrong.
