Stella admits Piastri is still 'thinking and driving' as McLaren plots MCL40 turnaround

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has publicly acknowledged that Oscar Piastri is yet to feel at home in the 2026 MCL40, describing the Australian as still “driving and thinking” — a cognitive load that Stella believes is directly costing him lap time against teammate Lando Norris.

Piastri’s struggles with the new generation of Formula 1 machinery have been a recurring theme throughout the season. Over the previous two years it became clear that his strengths are rooted in carrying speed through high-speed corners and in high-grip conditions. The 2026 regulations, which mandate reduced aerodynamic output and narrower tyres, have stripped much of that grip away, pulling Piastri outside his natural comfort zone. The charge-and-deploy characteristics of the new power units have compounded the problem.

While Piastri and Norris were separated by very little across the course of 2025, Norris has held a clear edge for much of this campaign. Stella is direct about what needs to change.

“We need to get more in tune between Oscar and the MCL40 because still Oscar is driving and thinking,” Stella said. “And when you drive and think, things get slowed down — slower as a driver in terms of deciding what to do and ultimately you are slower in terms of lap times.”

Stella also pointed to operational issues that have amplified Piastri’s difficulties. At Monza, the Australian qualified third but started sixth after a penalty for impeding, a sequence Stella described as a situation “we need to take more control” of.

Piastri’s race was further compromised by front wing damage sustained at the first corner after contact with George Russell’s Mercedes, leaving a diveplane flapping against the endplate. McLaren monitored the impact on tyre behaviour closely, fearing graining on the front axle, but the hard compound proved durable enough to avoid a pit stop for a replacement wing. Piastri recovered to pass Arvid Lindblad after his scheduled stop, only to become stuck behind Franco Colapinto’s Alpine and finish seventh.

“The front wing damage cost Oscar a few units of aero balance — so definitely very measurable,” Stella added. “We were actually quite worried that this would have caused a lot of graining because the front end lost a lot.”

Despite the difficult run of results, Stella expressed confidence that the team would resolve the underlying issues. “I think the agenda is very clear as to what we have to improve and I expect, like I always say, that we will get on top of that and we will see a stronger Oscar in the final part of the year.”