Oscar Piastri exposes McLaren’s struggle against severe car limitations

Oscar Piastri has scored just five points so far in his F1 rookie season.

Oscar Piastri exposes McLaren’s struggle against severe car limitations

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (Image credit: Irish Mirror)

After leaving the Alpine driver academy, Oscar Piastri joined McLaren at the start of 2023. The Australian started the season on a decent note. He scored his first points at his home Grand Prix in P8. Despite being the leading rookie in the standings, Oscar Piastri has had his fair share of troubles with the MCL60.

Piastri recognized that the track conditions in recent races were unusual, which may have worked in McLaren’s favor. He also noted how their car performed well in Barcelona, specifically in Q2 at the Canadian GP. The Australian believed the team had done an excellent job maximizing their potential. Additionally, he conveyed his anticipation regarding the upcoming upgrades to the car.

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“The conditions the last few weekends haven’t been standard either, so I think maybe we’ve capitalised on that. In Barcelona especially, we saw how our car works in those conditions, and even in Q2 [in Canada], that’s a similar story. We’ve done a very good job of maximising what we can at the moment, and I’m very excited for the upgrades to come,” said Piastri.

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Also read: Lando Norris makes SHOCKING claim about Oscar Piastri, says the rookie is ‘not a team player’

Andrea Stella confident in McLaren’s upgrades for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella (Image credit: WTF1)

McLaren has had a pretty average start to the 2023 F1 season. It’s no secret that British drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have struggled to adjust to the MCL60. However, team boss Andrea Stella is determined to change McLaren’s current slump at the Red Bull ring next week.

Stella told the media before the Canadian GP that they realized that the car needed a fundamental redesign. He added that the upgrades to the car would be very apparent. The Italian mentioned that they had to redesign parts under the bodywork. He further explained that was also why it took some time to be in condition to deliver these upgrades.

“At the start of the season, we realized that the car needed a fundamental redesign. We had to redesign even some parts under the bodywork. That’s also why it took some time to be in condition to deliver these upgrades,” Stella said.

Andrea Stella’s McLaren is placed in sixth place in the constructors’ standings with 17 points. Lando Norris leads Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship with 12 points to the Brit’s name. Piastri, after scoring five points, is P14 in the standings.

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