Piastri: McLaren 'not standing still' as he works through 2026 struggles

Oscar Piastri insists he is "making progress" as he adapts to McLaren's new-generation MCL40, praising the team for its relentless push to help him unlock performance ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Why it matters:

McLaren's ability to fight for titles depends on both drivers scoring consistently. While Lando Norris has delivered with wins in Hungary and the Netherlands, Piastri's struggles have left points on the table. Andrea Stella's decision to shift engineering resources toward Piastri shows how important closing that gap is for the team's wider ambitions.

The details:

• Piastri finished a frustrating eighth in Spain last weekend, and Stella openly admitted the team would dedicate more engineering support to help him.
• The 25-year-old says the help has been valuable, but the core issue remains the behaviour of the new-generation cars, which doesn't align with his natural style.
• "A lot of the things that have worked for me previously don't really seem to work this year," he explained. "It's about trying to find different things that do work."
• He stressed that the search for solutions is ongoing: "Progress isn't linear. You're always going to find some things that work, and go down some paths that don't work."
• Despite the setbacks, Piastri feels well supported: "We're throwing everything we can at trying to improve. We're not standing still, which is the most important thing."

What's next:

Piastri's next chance to turn things around comes at the Baku City Circuit, a track he called a "love-hate" relationship. He took his second career win there in 2024 but crashed on the opening lap last season. "It's always a big confidence track. Hopefully this year is more like 2024."