Andrea Stella Attributes Oscar Piastri's 2026 Struggles to Driving Style

Oscar Piastri, once a serious title contender in the final stages of 2025, is facing a challenging transition into the 2026 season. While Lando Norris continues to operate at the front, Piastri has slipped to sixth in the standings, struggling to extract the maximum potential from McLaren's latest machinery.

Why it matters:

The shift to smaller, nimbler cars with a heightened focus on energy management has fundamentally altered the required driving inputs. For a driver like Piastri, who prioritizes a clean and precise line, the 2026 cars demand a more aggressive approach. According to team principal Andrea Stella, achieving peak lap times now requires drivers to actively attack the car and accept a degree of sliding—a style that comes more naturally to Norris than Piastri.

The details:

• Performance Gap: Since the April break, Norris has dominated the qualifying head-to-head 9-1, maintaining an average edge of 0.099s.
• Championship Standings: Piastri currently holds 82 points, trailing Norris's 97 points as the season progresses.
• Technical Feedback: Piastri describes the car as "very tough" to balance on the edge, specifically citing rear-end instability and extreme sensitivity to wind conditions.
• Widespread Trend: Stella noted that similar adaptation hurdles have been observed across the grid, including pairings like Russell and Antonelli, as well as Hamilton and Leclerc.

What's next:

McLaren is now focused on refining Piastri's driving application to better align with the chassis' characteristics. The goal is to move away from a "too clean" approach toward a more active style. If Piastri can master this balance and the team provides the necessary downforce to stabilize the rear, he is expected to recover the form that made him a championship threat last year.