Piastri on a tough 2026 and the MCL40 challenge

Oscar Piastri says 2026 has been tough so far, with two early non-starts in Australia and China and difficulty adapting to McLaren's MCL40. He is currently seventh in the Drivers' Championship behind team mate Lando Norris, who has three wins this season, while Piastri has only reached the podium twice.

Piastri said he has found the year tougher than expected while getting to grips with the car, and that he has had to change and tweak aspects of how he drives. He also pointed to the demands of adapting to the new power units across the sport as a significant challenge.

He believes he is making progress in the second half of the season, having recently finished fifth in Singapore, and says he hopes to continue that momentum.