Oscar Piastri praised for his ‘strength’ ahead of Japanese Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri has enjoyed a phenomenal start to his Formula 1 career. He finished ninth in the Drivers’ Championship standings as a rookie in 2023, climbed to fourth in 2024 as he helped McLaren claim their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998, and then challenged for the Drivers’ Championship last season, ultimately finishing third as McLaren repeated as Constructors’ champions.

But ahead of the third race of the 2026 season, he has yet to complete a single Grand Prix racing lap.

Piastri crashed on the reconnaissance lap ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix — his home race — and then his MCL40 experienced a failure ahead of the start to the Chinese Grand Prix, leaving him sidelined for that race as well. While he finished sixth in the F1 Sprint race in Shanghai to claim three points, he arrived in Japan mired in 12th place in the Drivers’ Championship, a far cry from where he has been in the standings recently.

Yet to hear his boss tell the story, Piastri is as strong and confident as ever.

During Friday’s FIA Press Conference, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella praised both the team’s drivers, and in particular Piastri, after what was a difficult weekend for the team at the Chinese Grand Prix. In addition to Piastri not starting the race, teammate Lando Norris also did not make it to the grid as his MCL40 suffered a failure.

“Yes, I think this start of the season has given Oscar the opportunity to test where he was with his maturity, with his strength, with his ability to absorb adversity,” began Stella. “I have to say that the team is so impressed by the strength that this driver is exhibiting, and I have to say passing on to the team, because when you see a driver responding like that to a second race in which he was not in condition to be part of it, then this becomes extremely motivational for all the team. So really credit to Oscar, credit to his own personal development, which is not only the development of a driver getting faster and faster, but also of a person getting more and more mature and strong from a mental point of view.”

Stella then turned to the relationship between the team’s two talented drivers, who battled down the stretch a season ago for the Drivers’ Championship.

“When it comes to the relationship between Oscar and Lando, I’ve actually been thinking about it because I see how well they collaborate,” continued Stella. “These guys have gone through a quest for a world championship, the Drivers’ World Championship, the dream of their life, and competing with one another, and now they keep exhibiting this level of mutual respect. I think this is perhaps something that we have helped them as a team to reflect and embed, but at the same time, and this is true for Lando as well, what I said before for Oscar, this is who they are.

“This is also why they drive a McLaren, because it just wouldn’t work, the relationship between a driver and a team, if we didn’t share the same values, the same mindset, the same approach to racing. So, I’m personally very proud of Lando and Oscar for how they are collaborating at the moment and, just like I said before, if we had not had the 2025, I would say, ‘let me see once they become rivals for the championship,’ but we have had it already, so at the moment I’m just proud and happy with what they are doing for McLaren and for themselves.”

Stella did not stop there with his praise, as he also noted the work from the entire team after the disappointment in Shanghai.

“Absolutely. The way the team has reacted to the frustration of not seeing a McLaren taking part with both cars in the Grand Prix has been, once again, a way of witnessing the strength of the culture that we have in the team,” said Stella in response to a question from noted journalist Adam Cooper. “This is the result of an investment on our people, on our culture, that has been going on for three years. We said last year that the championship was won when we resisted the adversity, Qatar that you have mentioned as well, Qatar, Vegas, and in a way we kind of have the same belief this year.

“If anything, McLaren, at least since when I’m team principal right now, is in its strongest version as a team. We have never had this level of capabilities and infrastructure, we have never had before, even when we were winning championships, this level of expertise and talent in the team. I’ve never seen, like I said before, Lando and Oscar working so well together, and I can see that the pattern that led us in the last three years to just instigate such an upward trajectory, I can see that this pattern is forming up.

“So I think there’s all the reasons to be very encouraged looking at the future and, like I said before, hopefully we will start to see some improvements already in the next events.”

That improvement seems to be underway in Japan. While Mercedes has dominated the first two race weekends, McLaren seemed to have taken a step forward in both FP1 and FP2 in Suzuka. While George Russell led Kimi Antonelli at the top of the timing sheets for FP1, Norris finished third while Piastri finished fourth, the McLaren duo notably ahead of both Ferraris:

Then came FP2, which saw Piastri top the timing table:

McLaren has delivered comebacks before, as noted by Norris on Thursday.

Perhaps their latest comeback has begun.