Zak Brown Confident in Oscar Piastri's Return to Form

McLaren CEO Zak Brown is confident that Oscar Piastri is reclaiming his peak performance after a challenging start to the 2026 campaign. After finishing third in the Drivers' Championship last season, the Australian has struggled to maintain consistency and match the pace of teammate Lando Norris in the complex MCL40.

Why it matters:

Internal team parity is crucial for McLaren to sustain its title challenge. While Lando Norris has been the clear benchmark this season, Piastri's struggle to extract the car's full potential has left the team vulnerable to a surging field featuring Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Piastri's recovery is essential for McLaren to maximize its points haul in the championship fight.

The details:

• Performance Gap: Norris has claimed two Grand Prix victories and outqualified Piastri in 11 of the 17 rounds contested so far this year.
• Adaptation Hurdles: Team Principal Andrea Stella noted that Piastri struggled to drive by "pure instinct," a result of the high complexity of the 2026 technical regulations.
• Recent Volatility: Piastri secured a P6 in Malaysia and a P5 in Singapore, though the Singapore weekend was marred by a Sprint collision with Norris and a slow puncture during the main race.
• Technical Shift: Piastri admitted that previous driving styles no longer work with the current aero package, necessitating a constant cycle of adaptation and experimentation.

The big picture:

The 2026 regulation change has shuffled the grid's hierarchy, making driver adaptation the primary differentiator. As Zak Brown noted, while Lewis Hamilton has adapted quickly to the new Ferrari, others have faced a steeper learning curve. The current volatility among the top four teams means that even small gains in driver confidence can lead to dramatic shifts in race results.

What's next:

McLaren aims to enter every remaining weekend with a winning mindset. The focus remains on closing the gap to Verstappen and Leclerc while ensuring Piastri can consistently challenge for the top step of the podium as the season enters its final stages.