Oscar Piastri seeks a way out of McLaren’s car troubles

“Two steps forward, one step back” is how Oscar Piastri describes McLaren’s effort to find a way out of its car troubles. The Australian acknowledges that he now has to adapt to a different driving approach and believes the remaining rounds still matter, even though he is out of contention for the drivers’ championship. His priorities include improving at circuits where he has struggled in the past and understanding the effects of the upgrades fitted to the MCL40.

McLaren began introducing its final upgrade package of the season at the United States Grand Prix last weekend, revising the front suspension geometry and making changes to the rear diffuser. Further parts are due to arrive as soon as they can be shipped. The team has not yet fully established whether the changes have raised the car’s performance ceiling. Piastri says the MCL40 remains difficult to manage: “I definitely have to drive it very differently now from how I had to before.”

The driver called the challenge significant but said he believes a solution will be found. He described a car that is sensitive to many factors and has a narrow operating window. Bumps and wind make it more difficult to drive. Asked about the possible sources of that sensitivity, he said it was “a combination of a lot of things”. Lower downforce and the tyres are also factors, in his view. He noted that the tyres were developed using last year’s cars, with compromises, and that next year’s tyres may be different.

Piastri considers the car faster than it was before Austin, while stressing that the competitors are quick too and that McLaren still has ground to make up. He described Austin as a setback after signs of progress: the triple-header before that race had seemed a positive step, but he believes there is still room to improve. He also noted that soft tyres have performed well at several races this year, including during the races themselves.

The stakes extend beyond Piastri’s immediate results. He says the remaining rounds should help McLaren understand the upgrades and make next year’s car less edgy to drive. The team is also trying to hold on to third place in the constructors’ championship, while Lando Norris fell out of the drivers’ title race last weekend. “Obviously we want to try and stay ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship,” Piastri said. He added that the period is a chance to learn: he hopes to have a car capable of fighting for the title next year and wants to go into the season with as many answers and tools as possible.

Last year, Piastri’s championship challenge unravelled in the final run of races on low-grip tracks, which tended to favour the more adaptable driving style of his team-mate Lando Norris. In Mexico City, he finished fifth after starting eighth and lost the championship lead to Norris. Those earlier results help explain the work Piastri says he wants to do at circuits that have troubled him and on the car’s behaviour.