Oscar Piastri says McLaren upgrades are working, but rivals are pulling ahead
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 28, 2026
McLaren upgrades
McLaren keeps bringing parts, even as the podium drought stretches to four consecutive rounds, its longest such run since 2023. Oscar Piastri said the team’s recent upgrades are doing what McLaren expected, but he also said rivals are moving faster. That leaves McLaren in a difficult spot. The team has added new pieces during the four-race stretch without seeing the results turn into podiums, and Andrea Stella has already pointed to a measured approach for the next stop in Mexico City. He said only limited updates are expected there, with more significant developments likely for the Sao Paulo and Las Vegas rounds. That timeline puts a spotlight on how much McLaren can squeeze from the current package before the bigger steps arrive later in the season. The team’s drop in form shows up in the standings, too. McLaren has slipped to fourth in the Constructors’ standings after a run that has not matched the pace it expected from its car or its drivers. Piastri said the pieces are working, but the gap to the front has not closed the way McLaren wanted. That leaves the team trying to balance short-term fixes with the larger updates still ahead.
Norris and Piastri
The United States Grand Prix exposed the gap in Austin. McLaren finished fifth and seventh, with Lando Norris fifth after qualifying eighth and briefly running second on an alternative one-stop strategy. Piastri finished seventh. Norris gave a blunt read on the car, calling it “the hardest he has ever driven in his life.” He also said McLaren needs to improve qualifying and slow-speed corners, and he said the team lost nearly three-tenths per lap in Austin in the slow-speed sections. Those comments match the results. Piastri’s own form has been under pressure for some time. He has gone 14 races without a podium and remains seventh in the championship standings with 144 points. He has not won since the Dutch Grand Prix, and the dry spell has grown into one of the defining themes around McLaren’s campaign.
Winter questions
Piastri’s next challenge is not just about race-day execution, it is about adapting to what comes next. He will work closely with McLaren engineers over the winter to adjust his smooth driving style to a harder-to-control car with reduced downforce and more sliding. That process matters because the next phase of development will test both the driver and the package. Piastri said the current upgrades are landing as planned, but he also said the rivals are finding more speed. That puts more weight on the work ahead, both in the garage and in the simulator. The wider paddock has also started to question where Piastri stands in the long term. Guenther Steiner said Piastri should stay at McLaren, pointing to the lack of open seats at top teams and urging him to focus on beating Norris and rediscovering his best form before thinking about a move. Martin Brundle also offered a sharp view, saying Piastri “can’t seem to gel with the 2026 cars.” Those comments frame the debate around McLaren in a clear way. The team needs upgrades that move it forward now, but it also needs Piastri to find a stronger connection with the car as the technical picture keeps changing.
