Oscar Piastri Sees 'Clear Progress' Amid 'Challenging' McLaren Season

Oscar Piastri has been candid about his "challenging" year with McLaren, expressing that after months of intense effort, he's beginning to see progress in adapting to the 2026 car. Having narrowly missed out on the 2025 Drivers' Championship to teammate Lando Norris, Piastri faced a rocky start this season, missing the first two races due to a DNS in Australia and China.

While he managed podium finishes in Japan and Miami, Piastri has since struggled to keep pace, especially as Norris claimed consecutive wins in Hungary and the Netherlands. However, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has noted a resurgence in Piastri's confidence, suggesting he's returning to the form expected of him. Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, Piastri reflected on recent improvements, saying, "The last triple header was definitely more in line with where I wanted to be."

Although not yet at his desired level, Piastri feels he's "back in the ballpark" of where he should be. He admits the 2026 car has been particularly tricky to master, but recent weeks have shown signs of things "clicking" a bit more. It's still a work in progress, but he's optimistic about the direction they're heading.

Piastri's season has been a mix of highs and lows, including a recovery from a costly mistake in Baku that saw him drop from the top three to P13, followed by solid P6 and P5 finishes in Malaysia and Singapore. Adapting to the car has been a complex task, as the attributes that suited him last year have often been detrimental this season.

"We've tried various things," Piastri noted. "The challenges we're facing can't be fixed quickly, but we've been working hard on adapting my approach. It’s difficult to step away from methods that have been reliable in the past, and there's a mental hurdle in changing those habits."

Heading into the Circuit of The Americas, Piastri remains cautiously optimistic, aware of the competitive landscape among the top teams. "It's hard to say if the track will suit us," he said. "We've been stronger in high-speed corners but struggled with low-speed sections, and this track offers a mix of both. We've made some updates, so we'll see how that plays out."

Despite acknowledging the performance gap with other teams, Piastri hopes to maximize McLaren's strengths this weekend and continue building on the progress made so far.