Chandhok Worried as Piastri Struggles for Braking Confidence in Mexico

Oscar Piastri endured a frustrating Friday at the Mexico City Grand Prix, finishing only 10th in second practice as repeated brake lock-ups raised concerns about his confidence on the resurfaced Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The McLaren driver, the only member of his team to contest both practice sessions after Leonardo Fornaroli stood in for Lando Norris in the first hour, could manage a best lap of only 1:18.469. That left him well adrift of team-mate Norris, who ended second practice in second place with a 1:17.930, just 0.103 seconds behind session leader Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. Sky Sports pundit Karun Chandhok said he was worried by Piastri's repeated struggles on the brakes throughout the day, noting that the Australian never looked comfortable or confident in either session. Piastri and Norris both locked up into Turn 1 during second practice, but Piastri's problems were far more frequent and more costly to his single-lap pace. The difficulties are a continuation of a poor recent run in Mexico City for Piastri, who struggled with the lack of grip from the asphalt last year. With final practice and qualifying still to come on Saturday, McLaren will work overnight to restore Piastri's feeling under braking.