McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is missing the pressure of fighting for the Formula 1 world championship amid what has been a difficult 2026 season.
The Australian led the drivers’ standings for a lot of last year before he eventually finished third behind team-mate Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Although he missed out on the championship last year, it was a successful end to the ground effect regulations for Piastri.
This year hasn’t been his year, however. He currently sits seventh in the standings with just three races left and hasn’t finished on the podium, let alone won a race. Asked whether his lack of title contention has been a blow to him, he’s keen to focus on the upside of his year so far.
“Yes and no,” he said. “I want to be in a championship fight every year if I can be, but also, it’s definitely a bit more relaxed this year. Obviously, we’re not wanting to be in this position, but there’s not quite the same stress.
“But that stress that you have in a championship fight is the feeling you want, because it means you’re fighting for something that is what your goal is. I am missing that feeling this year for sure.”
McLaren has struggled to match the pace it showed in the last two seasons under F1’s new rules, and Piastri said the car had been tricky from the start.
“It wasn’t that easy to drive, and it’s still not been easy to drive, even now,” he said. “It took us a while to understand exactly what needed to change, and then trying to actually change it is tough. But we’re making progress with it slowly.”
There were hints of that in Brazil. Norris won at Interlagos on Sunday with a car that McLaren had upgraded with a new front wing designed to make it more predictable, while Piastri recovered to sixth after being knocked out in Q2.
Piastri now has something else to aim for. McLaren sits fourth in the constructors’ championship, 17 points behind Red Bull, and he said after the race that closing that gap was his priority for the rest of the season.
“Just keep learning and ultimately try and beat Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. That’s the big thing,” he said. “It’s not going to be an easy task for sure, but I think it’s possible. I think the car took a step forward this weekend, so hopefully that keeps going.”
Piastri also confirmed on Monday that he had split from his manager Mark Webber, the former Red Bull driver who had guided his career since his junior days.
He will get his next chance to close the gap to Red Bull in Las Vegas next week.
Â
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Team