McLaren Boss Reveals Turning Point that Accelerated Oscar Piastri’s Development in Formula 1
Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix weekend proved to be a crucial turning point in Oscar Piastri’s development, according to McLaren boss Andrea Stella. The Australian driver struggled with degradation issues at the Shanghai International Circuit, finishing 42 seconds behind teammate Lando Norris. However, Piastri has since bounced back, out-qualifying Norris at Imola and Monaco, and securing his first podium of the season in Monte Carlo.
Speaking before the Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth, Piastri acknowledged the team’s recent solid performance and his own growth.
“The last three weekends have been very solid, I think, for the whole team, but also for me personally,” he said. “Monaco was really the first time that we got a really strong result out of it. But yeah, I mean, clearly the car is performing well at the moment and I feel like I’ve taken a step forward as well and been able to build some consistency in the last few weekends, which is always nice.”
Piastri attributed his improved results to the team’s competitiveness, courtesy of recent upgrades, rather than any single element.
“I would say more just a confidence thing,” he explained. “I think there have been good moments here and there, even at the start of the season. I think the first few rounds were quite promising, a couple of difficult races in the middle, but on the whole, I feel like I’ve taken a good step forward in quite a few areas from last year.”
Stella, however, shed more light on Piastri’s growth, revealing that a deep dive with his engineers post-China helped identify areas for improvement.
“Yes, I think that’s the case,” Stella said, agreeing with Piastri’s assessment of his recent progress. “Especially after China, we looked at what we had learned in the first part of the season together with Oscar’s engineers, and we found a couple of opportunities that we started to work on.”
Stella highlighted the significance of returning to familiar tracks, which has also contributed to Piastri’s better showings.
“Coming back to the same track is definitely important,” he emphasized. “There’s a sense of familiarity. There’s historical data. But in addition to that, it’s also that you have more races that you do in Formula 1, more races to work with your engineers, more races to just understand what you need to work on.”
The McLaren boss praised Piastri’s development, stating that it’s not only about revisiting familiar tracks but also about the overall journey of growth.
“So I think it’s not only the fact that you come to the same track for the second time, it’s just the overall journey of development, which I have to say for Oscar is quite impressive,” Stella concluded.
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