Oscar Piastri ‘back to the driver I know’ as McLaren Boss Zak Brown Praises F1 Star’s Growing Confidence

Zak Brown Backs Oscar Piastri to Reclaim Top Form

McLaren Racing Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown believes Australian driver Oscar Piastri is successfully working his way back to his peak capabilities following a demanding stretch in the 2026 Formula 1 season. After an exceptional 2025 campaign in which he finished third in the Drivers’ Championship, the 25-year-old has navigated a comparatively uneven start while adapting to the latest generation of machinery.

Across the first 17 rounds of the championship, Piastri has collected two podium finishes but has often trailed team-mate Lando Norris. Norris has secured two Grand Prix wins and maintained an 11-6 qualifying advantage over the Australian. Nevertheless, McLaren’s leadership sees clear indicators that Piastri is finding his rhythm once again.

Speaking during Friday’s press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix, Brown addressed whether Piastri was returning to his familiar level of performance: I think he is.

I think we’ve seen with these cars, it’s kind of mixed up the field a little bit, right? Lewis [Hamilton] is getting the better out of the Ferrari right now, George [Russell] got more out of the car last year than Kimi [Antonelli].

That’s moved around. I think these cars are so complex. Some have adapted a little bit quicker than others, but I’m liking what I’m seeing out of Oscar.

He’s feeling more confident and on top of things. I like where both our drivers are now.

Overcoming the Technical Demands of the MCL40

The primary hurdle for Piastri this year has involved reconciling his natural driving inputs with the specific technical demands of the MCL40. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella previously observed that the machine has prevented Piastri from relying on pure instinct in specific track scenarios. Rather than relying on previous habits, the nine-time race winner has had to recalibrate his approach corner by corner.

Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri detailed the nuanced mechanical and driving adjustments required to unlock lap time:

A lot of the things that have worked for me previously don’t really seem to work this year, so it’s about trying to find different things that do work, Piastri explained. I’m making some progress on that but it’s not as simple as you find one direction and that just works for you all the time. You need to constantly adapt and change things.

Operational volatility added further disruption during the flyaway events. At the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, a gamble to start on medium slick tyres amid wet conditions compromised Piastri’s afternoon, forcing an early stop before he managed to recover to a sixth-place finish.

Singapore Grand Prix Recovery Highlights Potential

Piastri’s resiliency was tested again under the lights in Singapore. During Saturday’s Sprint, he retired on the final lap following a collision with Norris. The setback was compounded on Sunday when an unexpected slow puncture mandated an unscheduled pit stop during the Grand Prix. Despite the loss of track position, Piastri carved through the field, completing a last-lap pass on Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to salvage fifth position.

Assessing the Marina Bay outing, Piastri remained realistic regarding McLaren’s outright pace compared to the frontrunners:

It felt pretty reasonable I would say. I think we just didn’t quite have enough pace.

We couldn’t go with Max [Verstappen] and Charles [Leclerc]. I think Kimi was a little bit quicker than us as well. There wasn’t really too much we could do other than where we ended up.

Why This Matters

As Formula 1 enters the closing phase of the calendar, intra-team parity is critical for McLaren in their battle against rivals Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes. The fine margins between frontrunners make a two-car assault vital for constructors’ points and strategic flexibility during race trim.

Zak Brown stressed that despite tightening performance spreads across the paddock, McLaren’s operational objectives remain fixed at the very top:

The target is to come into every weekend with the chance to win, Brown explained.

We feel more on top of things than we have for the past couple of races, and we won the last couple of races prior to that.

It shows how competitive the sport is and how quickly the top four teams, the whole grid for that matter, is moving around in levels of competitiveness.

Our goal is to try to come to each race weekend and win, but that’s easier said than done.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why has Oscar Piastri struggled relative to Lando Norris this season?

Piastri’s primary challenge has stemmed from adapting his natural driving style to the complex dynamics of the MCL40. While Lando Norris adjusted more rapidly to the machinery, Team Principal Andrea Stella indicated that Piastri has had to modify techniques that previously worked for him rather than driving purely on instinct.

What happened during Oscar Piastri’s race weekend in Singapore?

Piastri endured a chaotic weekend that began with a final-lap retirement in the Saturday Sprint due to a collision with Norris. In Sunday’s main Grand Prix, an unscheduled pit stop caused by a slow puncture forced him down the order, but he recovered well to finish in fifth place after a final-lap overtake on Lewis Hamilton.

What are McLaren’s expectations for the remainder of the season?

McLaren CEO Zak Brown emphasized that the team aims to enter every Grand Prix with the ambition and capability to fight for race victories, though he noted that closing performance gaps among the top four teams makes sustained dominance exceptionally challenging.