That elusive feeling of comfort is finally returning for Oscar Piastri at McLaren. After losing the 2025 Drivers’ Championship by 13 points to his team mate Lando Norris, the Australian started this season on the back foot with a DNS in both his home event in Australia and Round 2 in China. While a return to the podium followed in Japan and Miami, he has failed to make the rostrum since due to struggles with the new car, which Norris drove to back-to-back victories in Hungary and the Netherlands.
Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, McLaren CEO Zak Brown noted that the increased confidence behind the wheel has seen the driver go back to the driver he knows. Asked if he agreed, the Australian admitted that while the driver was hard to find for a while, the last triple header was definitely more back to where he wanted to be. He noted that he is not yet at the level he aspires to achieve, but he is back in the ballpark he should be in.
Getting a grip on this year’s car has been no secret, but the last few weeks have seen things start to click a little bit more. Recovering from an error that dropped him from the top three to P13 in Baku, he went on to finish P6 and P5 in Malaysia and Singapore respectively while working with the team to learn the intricacies of his machine.
The struggles have required plenty of hard work in adapting himself to the car. The tactics that worked so well for him at points last year have often become his downfall on many weekends this year. When a driver cannot rely on the methods they normally want to lean on, the challenge is both physical and mental after being used to something working for a long time.
Looking ahead to the weekend at the Circuit of The Americas, expectations remain managed amid a tight battle between the top four teams. When asked whether the venue will suit the MCL40, he explained that the high speed corners are where they have been stronger this year, while the low speeds have caused struggles. With a combination of both high speed and very long low speed sections, the circuit will challenge everything, though a few new bits on the car will hopefully help exploit some strengths.
