McLaren's Unpredictable Results Puzzle Piastri

Oscar Piastri is puzzled by McLaren F1’s erratic performance with the MCL38, fluctuating between top finishes and struggles despite expectations, prompting a deep dive into underlying causes.

Oscar Piastri is skeptical that McLaren F1 cannot interpret the performances of its MCL38 and predict its level. The team believed it was the fifth force on the grid in China, yet it turned out to be the best after Red Bull.

“We need to understand why we are fast on some days and not as fast on others,” said the Australian. “I think we have good ideas, but we just need to make sure that the reasons we think we are good are indeed valid.”

“We thought we would struggle in China. So, it’s very encouraging that Lando was able to finish second on a track where we thought we would have difficulties. It’s exciting for the future, and with new parts coming to the car, these are encouraging signs.”

Piastri is very surprised that McLaren performed well in China: “That’s what we need to understand! It’s clear that we excel on some days and struggle on others, and it doesn’t really seem to be related to the track layout at the moment.”

“On circuits like Japan, where we thought we would be very strong, we honestly had our weakest race this year, just like Bahrain, and here, where we thought we would be weakest, we were probably the strongest. So, we need to understand a bit better why.”

“I think it’s a bit frustrating to have ups and downs. I think it’s very encouraging to be at the top when we expected to be at the bottom. If we manage that, then we can better understand what we need to focus on.”