Piastri feels McLaren ‘about where we belong’ in China Qualifying as Norris says team are ‘a step behind’ rivals

Oscar Piastri believes that McLaren are “about where we belong” after taking P5 and P6 in Qualifying for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, with Lando Norris suggesting that the team are “a step behind” their rivals.

Following the squad’s P4 and P6 for Norris and Piastri respectively in the Sprint, the reigning Teams’ Champions experienced a similar level of performance in Qualifying, though Piastri felt that they may have moved closer during the Q3 segment.

Asked if his fifth place was the most he could get out of the afternoon, the Australian answered: “I think so.

“The last lap I did was not the greatest, so I think there was potentially a bit more in it, but just very difficult to get everything out of the car today.

“I’m reasonably happy with it – it’s about where we kind of belong. I felt like in Q3 we maybe got a little bit closer, but we’ve still got some work to do.”

In terms of the thinking for Sunday’s Grand Prix – off the back of an eventful start in Saturday’s Sprint – Piastri said: “Try and get a good start if I can – that’s probably the first thing, and then see what the tyres do.

“I think the tyres were a pretty big factor in the Sprint, but I think just car pace is going to be very important. We’ll see what our pace is like, and if we’ve got enough grip then maybe we can mix it with the guys at the front, but we’ll wait and see.”

Norris echoed Piastri’s sentiments, with the Briton admitting that there may potentially have been more in his lap.

“Both runs [in Q3] were pretty similar, I think,” said Norris. “I made a big mistake on my first lap in the final corner, which cost me maybe a tenth, and maybe a tenth is almost a position but it’s very close to the Ferraris.

“It’s tough because you think, could we have got another tenth and a half out of it or something? I think that was in it today, so [I] just didn’t quite hook it up but otherwise I think we’re probably where we deserve to be.

“I think the Ferraris are quicker and it will be tough to race against them tomorrow.”

Asked whether there are any opportunities for McLaren come Sunday – and if the start might act as a possibility – Norris added: “No idea on the start – it could be amazing, it could not be good, you never really know.

“A lot of our starts have been good, so touch wood it’s the same tomorrow. We’ll see how we can challenge the guys ahead, at least how we can put them under pressure, [and] see if they make any mistakes.

“But it’s clear that we’re a step behind, and therefore racing that kind of car is always going to be tricky, but you never know.”