Oscar Piastri Forced to Change Driving Style for McLaren

Oscar Piastri has been required to change his natural driving style to extract stronger performance from the McLaren car during the 2026 Formula 1 season. Team principal Andrea Stella said the adjustments have been particularly necessary in low-grip conditions and races featuring heavy tyre degradation.

Tyre-wear management has been one of Piastri’s limitations during the early phase of his Formula 1 career. In several races, the Australian has lost pace relative to team-mate Lando Norris as stints developed and the available tyre grip began to decline.

Stella explained that the reduced overall grip produced by the 2026 cars means Piastri cannot always rely on his instinctive approach. When the car slides more frequently and tyre degradation is high, that natural technique can result in a loss of performance over a race distance.

Baca JugaHamilton Tambah Tekanan saat Leclerc Kesulitan di Ferrari

“With the cars producing less overall grip and with some races having very high tyre degradation, Oscar has to make some adaptations to his driving style,” Stella told media including RacingNews365.

McLaren conducted a detailed technical analysis to identify a more effective approach in those conditions. The work focused on how Piastri controls the car with limited grip, maintains pace without placing excessive stress on the tyres and remains consistent when the car begins to slide.

The progress became visible at the Austrian Grand Prix, where Piastri finished fourth. It was his strongest result since his podium at the Miami Grand Prix and demonstrated his ability to apply the team’s analysis directly during a race weekend.

“We understood a few clues of driving in these low-grip conditions. The whole weekend, Oscar got in the cockpit, and he did it,” Stella said.

Stella noted that Piastri had already delivered strong performances earlier in the season, including when McLaren challenged near the front at the Japanese Grand Prix. However, remaining fast and consistent when grip is limited represents the clearest opportunity to make his performance more complete.

The adaptation is important for McLaren because tyre degradation can determine strategy choices, stint length and attacking potential during the closing stages of a race. If Piastri can maintain that progress across different circuits, he can reduce his previous weakness against Norris and give McLaren two more consistent driver references during the remainder of 2026.