Lando Norris should be concerned by what Oscar Piastri told Karun Chandhok after dominating Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying

Oscar Piastri stormed to pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix, with teammate Lando Norris only managing to set the sixth-quickest time.

McLaren had been the benchmark team all weekend for others to beat, so it was no surprise to see Piastri at the top of the timesheets a full two-tenths faster than George Russell.

Norris suffered a difficult session having made a few mistakes on his lap, forcing him to start just ahead of rival Max Verstappen who was also dealing with brake issues in his car.

Depending on where Norris finishes in the Bahrain GP, his lead in the Drivers’ Championship could be relinquished after Verstappen can finish ahead on track.

It shows how crucial qualifying can be for McLaren, despite having the quickest car. Karun Chandhok revealed what Piastri told him when discussing his lap after the session on Sky Sports F1.

What Oscar Piastri told Karun Chandhok after Bahrain GP qualifying

McLaren has been the fastest car so far this season, but their car can often be on a knife-edge when in qualifying, making their drivers more prone to errors.

The strong winds in Japan caused Piastri to make a mistake in qualifying that cost him pole, and now Norris has been on the receiving end of bad luck with a difficult session in Bahrain.

His pole lap was the quickest of the weekend from Piastri, having also set the pace in FP2 and FP3, but Chandhok has revealed that he felt there was even more time to come.

“You know what he did say to me? He pointed out two corners where there was even more lap time,” said Chandhok.

“In fact, he sounded a bit disappointed that there was more lap time at Turn 1 and Turn 13, so could’ve been even further ahead.”

Where did Oscar Piastri have the edge over Lando in qualifying?

Piastri was mainly good exiting the corners during his lap, with better acceleration through Turns 2 and 3 than Norris beginning the lap.

Through the fast sweeping Turns 5 and 6 he was also ahead, but Norris gained some time through Turn 7.

Exiting Turn 10, Piastri was a lot faster than Norris but the Briton gained a bit of time on entry to Turn 11, but the stability of the McLaren at the hands of the Australian enabled him to stay ahead throughout the rest of the lap.

Norris was half a second down exiting Turn 13, but managed to reduce it with a better exit coming out of the corner and Turn 14, which is perhaps where Piastri could have gained more time.