Oscar Piastri has addressed McLaren's concerns about his driving style not fully adapting to the new regulations. Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Melbourne-born driver admitted that techniques that once made him shine are no longer effective.
The concern was initially raised by Andrea Stella, who said Piastri was still "driving and thinking," needing a more intuitive relationship with the MCL40. Responding to that, Piastri didn't deny it. “The cars this year, power units to one side, are quite different from what we've had previously,” he said in the press conference. “A lot of the things that worked for me before don't seem to work this year. So it's about finding different things that do work.”
Piastri stressed that the solution isn't instant. “It's not as simple as finding one direction and that just works for you all the time. You need to constantly adapt and change things, and that's part of what makes finding a solution difficult because the solution is always a little bit different every time,” he explained. He feels progress is being made but admits they are not where they want to be.
Stella previously revealed that McLaren had increased technical support for Piastri. The 25-year-old can feel those efforts, but limited track time means new ideas must be chosen carefully. “We're throwing everything we can at trying to improve, which has been good. But with the limited time we have, you need a good set of ideas to action. You can't just try random stuff,” he added.
The adaptation process hasn't been smooth. “The progress isn't linear. You're always going to find some things that work, go down some paths that don't work, and we're still very much in that phase,” he admitted. He pointed to the last race where the car was eventually quick but still difficult to extract maximum potential from.
Baku holds contrasting memories for Piastri. In 2024 he took a dramatic win after passing Charles Leclerc, but in 2025 he crashed in qualifying and on the opening lap of the race. “Probably my best race ever and probably my worst race ever have been at this track,” he recalled. “It's always a big confidence track, and obviously you need to push the limits a lot.”
That confidence element also ties into the broader adaptation Piastri is still making with the MCL40. He remains convinced he can overcome it but needs time and the right approach. With the team's continued support, he hopes to rediscover his lost rhythm soon.
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