Piastri warns McLaren's MCL40 problems will not be solved before season ends

Oscar Piastri has admitted McLaren is unlikely to resolve the fundamental performance problems with its MCL40 before the 2026 Formula 1 season concludes, with the Australian driver believing the car has essentially reached its ceiling.

“I think in the short term, it’s probably as good as it’s going to get,” Piastri told media ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. “I don’t think we’re going to have any magic answers this year.”

Piastri described the MCL40 as an inconsistent, binary machine that offers little middle ground. “Either you’re quite a way off or you’re really fast. There’s not really an in-between,” he said. When asked what drives those wild swings in performance, he was candid about his own uncertainty: “If I knew, I’d be a much happier person.”

The 2026 regulations have introduced sweeping changes that have caught several teams off guard, and Piastri acknowledged the new machinery demands a very different approach. “The cars themselves are very different. The tyres are quite different as well, so that’s not going to change anytime soon. I’m definitely making progress, but it’s still not as comfortable as I would like.”

Despite his own struggles, Piastri was generous in his assessment of team-mate and reigning world champion Lando Norris, suggesting Norris has at times extracted more from the car than it genuinely deserves. “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 said. Norris has previously described the MCL40 as “mentally exhausting” to drive.

Team principal Andrea Stella has backed Piastri’s assessment, confirming that the MCL40’s core issues will not be addressed until the 2027 car is developed.

The situation has tangible championship consequences. Piastri sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 138 points and is yet to win a grand prix this season. McLaren, the reigning constructors’ champion, is third with 339 points — only seven clear of a resurgent Red Bull heading into the United States Grand Prix.