It has been a dramatic 12-month reversal of fortune for Australian Formula One driver Oscar Piastri: from leading the world championship a year ago to sitting 7th in the standings as the 2026 season hits its summer break. But McLaren team principal Andrea Stella insists the 25-year-old’s current struggles are just a temporary adjustment period, not a sign of a lasting slump.
Piastri’s tough start to the 2026 campaign hit a new low at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, a race that started with immense promise. The Melbourne-native surged up to third place on the opening lap and was firmly in contention for a race victory before a collision with backmarker Carlos Sainz, who was driving for Williams at the time, as Piastri attempted to complete an overtake to lap the slower car. Still on track to claim a podium finish after the incident, a late gearbox failure forced Piastri to retire his car early, cutting what could have been a strong result short.
Heading into the August off-season, Piastri has only secured two podium finishes across the first 12 races of 2026, totaling just 92 championship points. That puts him 17 points adrift of sixth-placed Max Verstappen, a stark contrast to his position this time last year. When the 2025 season entered its summer break, Piastri sat atop the drivers’ standings with six race wins and 284 points, buoyed by a dominant McLaren car package that gave him a clear edge over the competition.
The 2026 season brought sweeping new regulatory changes, including a shift to lower-grip car specifications that have required a major adjustment from all drivers on the grid. Speaking to reporters after the Hungarian Grand Prix, Stella explained that Piastri is still working to acclimate to the new car requirements, and he sees clear progress behind the scenes.
“Oscar is still getting in tune with these 2026 cars, low-grip cars,” Stella said. “There’s an opportunity there to find some pace, and there’s great work happening between Oscar, his engineering team, and the wider team. I think we have seen a great trajectory of development for Lando (Norris), and this is honestly the same with Oscar as well. So, I think we will see a very strong Oscar for the second part of the season.”
Piastri and teammate Lando Norris are currently completing pre-break testing at Portimao before heading off for their scheduled summer breaks. The Formula One 2026 season will resume on August 23 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where fans will get their first look at whether Piastri can deliver on the upturn in form Stella has predicted.