Key Highlights
- Oscar Piastri says adapting to McLaren’s MCL40 and its different driving demands has made 2026 more difficult than expected.
- McLaren CEO Zak Brown says Piastri is feeling more confident and back to the driver the team knows.
- Piastri believes the technical challenges could strengthen his skills and prepare him for future McLaren cars.
Oscar Piastri adapting to McLaren MCL40 challenges
Oscar Piastri has described the 2026 Formula 1 season as a demanding period of adaptation, with McLaren unable to match the competitiveness it showed during its back-to-back championship-winning campaigns. The Australian driver says he has had to make significant changes to his driving style while learning how to extract performance from the MCL40.
“As a team, we’ve not been as competitive as we would have wanted obviously and, I think for me, personally it’s been tougher than I expected with trying to get to grips with the car,” the Australian continues.
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“Obviously as a sport it’s been a very demanding year in terms of getting used to the power units as well. It’s definitely thrown in a lot of challenges, and I feel like I’ve had to change a lot of things in how I drive, or certainly tweak things.
“But I feel I’m making some progress now in the second half of this year, so yeah, just trying to continue that.”
Both McLaren drivers have indicated at different stages that the MCL40 is difficult to tame and that unlocking its full potential requires considerable effort. For Piastri, the challenge has extended beyond understanding the car: he has had to retrain driving instincts developed over several seasons.
That process has made it harder to reach his best performance level because of the intense concentration required to make continual adjustments. Piastri says the 2026 car demands a fundamentally different approach from the cars he drove previously.
Why the 2026 McLaren requires a different driving style
“The biggest thing has probably been the general driving style you have, or that you need, is quite different for this year’s car compared to previous years,” the 25-year-old explains.
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“Even in previous years there’s been an element of adaptation and learning for that – sure – but I think [it’s been a] combination of a few different things this year.
“Obviously, the cars are smaller, the tyres are quite different. It means you really have to drive the car on the edge all of the time – certainly our car, I don’t know what others think of it.
“That’s been quite different. You’re always driving on the edge to an extent, but this year it’s really always taking you beyond the edge of trying to salvage things.
“So, it’s felt quite different to previous [cars] and even a lot of the previous cars I’ve driven in general. That’s been quite an adaptation process and learning to trust the car and retrain what feels like the limit is never an easy thing to try and adapt. But hopefully I’m making progress.”
Piastri’s progress was also recognised during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, when McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the Australian was regaining confidence and returning to the level expected of him.
“He’s feeling more confident and on top of things,” Brown explained in the Team Principals’ Press Conference. “I like where both our drivers are now.”
McLaren focused on long-term development
Although Piastri would have preferred another season competing for titles, as he did in 2025, he believes the difficulties of 2026 may prove valuable over the longer term. The experience has required him to develop his understanding of the car and refine the skills needed to handle changing technical characteristics.
“I think so,” he responds when I propose that line of thought. “You know, even some of the challenges from last year, they weren’t completely dissimilar to what I’ve got this year, and I feel like I’ve definitely made a lot of progress on that in general.
“These last few races are definitely going to be another challenge in terms of testing where I’m at, in terms of developing those skills. Having that challenge has been tough, obviously, but getting through it, and then continuing to work on it, [is] ultimately going to be rewarding and [will] hopefully set me up for whatever car we get [in future].”
McLaren began 2026 on the back foot after its previous drivers’ championship battle went down to the wire in the Abu Dhabi finale. Red Bull faced a similar situation, while McLaren has spent the season recovering through development work and upgrades.
Despite the team’s reduced competitiveness, Piastri says the atmosphere inside McLaren remains constructive. He believes the squad is still determined to return to the front as rivals, particularly Mercedes, continue raising the performance benchmark.
McLaren engineers and drivers building resilience
‘It’s been good to see everybody pulling together’
“It’s been good to see everybody pulling together and this year has definitely been more challenging for sure,” says Piastri as I ask about the atmosphere within the squad. “I think everyone is still very determined to get back to where we know we can be.
“The competition [to Mercedes] is definitely going to step up in terms of, not just the competitiveness they have, but the continued development and stuff like that. They’re raising the bar as well.
“I feel like we’ve set the bar pretty high in the last couple of years and that’s the beauty of F1 – everyone is always pushing the boundaries further and further.
“I think we’re on our way back there, development and upgrades have always been a strong point for us, and hopefully we can just keep pushing.”
Piastri also sees value in the stronger working relationship formed with his engineering group during a difficult season. He says the pressure has helped the driver and team understand how to improve their performance together.
“Definitely between myself, and the pretty close and intimate engineering team around me, we’ve learned a lot about each other and how we get the most out of ourselves [as well as] how we get more out of ourselves,” he explains. “So that’s been a good process to go through for sure.”
Progress matters more than results for Piastri
‘I’ve always tried to remove results from what success looks like’
With McLaren and Piastri unable to produce the results they may have expected, the Australian says he has measured success through improvement rather than race wins. That approach has helped him identify positive moments even when the car has not been capable of fighting at the front.
“I think trying to make progress,” he answers. “I’ve always tried to remove results from what success looks like.
“Of course, results do help. But especially when you’re not in a position to win races, or whether it be because of the car or the kind of struggles I’ve had this year, sometimes a win and a successful weekend looks like improvement rather than perfection, is what I would say.
“That’s brought me joy, for sure. There’s been some very strong weekends this year that I’ve been really happy with. [I’m] just trying to work through those things.”
Why This Matters
Piastri’s comments highlight the technical and competitive demands McLaren faces in 2026. The MCL40 requires a different driving approach because of its smaller dimensions, different tyres and the need to operate consistently at the limit. While that has affected short-term results, the adaptation process may help Piastri and his engineering team build skills that can transfer to future McLaren cars.
McLaren’s continued development remains central to its effort to close the gap to Mercedes and return to the level it established in recent championship campaigns. Piastri’s emphasis on progress suggests the team is treating the 2026 season as an ongoing learning and recovery process rather than judging its success solely through race victories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Oscar Piastri found the 2026 season difficult?
Piastri says the McLaren MCL40 requires a different driving style from previous cars, while its smaller dimensions, different tyres and power-unit demands have made it difficult to judge and trust the limit.
What did Zak Brown say about Piastri?
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said Piastri was feeling more confident and on top of the situation, adding that he liked where both McLaren drivers were during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
How is McLaren responding to its reduced competitiveness?
McLaren is relying on development and upgrades, areas Piastri identifies as team strengths, while continuing to work closely with its drivers and engineering groups to return to the front.
