With only six grand prix left in the 2026 season Australian driver Oscar Piastri told the media that the MCL40 has likely reached the peak of its performance. He explained that the team’s chances of uncovering a major improvement before the final round are slim, describing the current package as “as good as it’s going to get” in the short term.
Car development stalls as 2026 season winds down
Piastri pointed to the sweeping regulation changes introduced for 2026, noting that the new layout has left many teams still learning how to extract the most from their machines. “The cars themselves are very different,” he said, adding that the tyre compounds also behave in unfamiliar ways, which will not change “anytime soon.” Although he feels he is making progress, he admits the car remains “not as comfortable as I would like.” The driver summed up the situation with a hint of humor, saying, “If I knew, I’d be a much happier person,” when asked why performance swings appear so stark.
Team dynamics and driver confidence
Within the squad, teammate Lando Norris has occasionally extracted more from the chassis than the car might technically deserve, according to Piastri. “Some of the laps that Lando’s done in qualifying to put the car on pole have been better than what the car deserves,” he remarked, emphasizing the collaborative nature of their effort. Team principal Andrea Stella corroborated the view, stating that the underlying issues with the MCL40 will likely persist until the 2027 car arrives.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown offered a more optimistic outlook during Friday’s press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix. He observed that the new generation of cars has “mixed up the field a little bit,” citing examples such as Lewis Hamilton extracting more from Ferrari and George Russell outperforming Kimi Antonelli last year. Brown added, “Some have adapted a little bit quicker than others, but I’m liking what I’m seeing out of Oscar. He’s feeling more confident and on top of things.” The statement underscores a subtle shift in Piastri’s mindset as the team heads into the final stretch.
Points table and recent race outcomes
At present, Piastri sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 138 points having yet to claim a race victory this year. McLaren, the reigning constructors’ champion, occupies third place on 339 points a slender seven point cushion ahead of a re-energised Red Bull entry as the grid approaches the United States Grand Prix. Recent performances illustrate the mixed fortunes of the Australian: a sixth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia (Sepang) after a wet-condition tyre gamble, followed by a fifth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix despite a sprint-race collision with Norris and a puncture on Sunday.
Reflecting on the Singapore result, Piastri noted, “It felt pretty reasonable I would say. I think we just didn’t quite have enough pace. We couldn’t go with Max and Charles. I think Kimi was a little bit quicker than us as well.” The driver also highlighted the difficulty of finding a single, reliable solution, explaining, “A lot of the things that have worked for me previously don’t really seem to work this year, so it’s about trying to find different things that do work. I’m making some progress on that but it’s not as simple as you find one direction and that just works for you all the time.”
