Oscar Piastri achieved his first podium of the 2026 Formula 1 season, finishing in P2 at the Japanese GP last weekend, and the Australian’s performance caught the attention within McLaren itself. After the race in Suzuka, team principal Andrea Stella stated that Piastri is experiencing his best phase since arriving in the category.
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This result gains even more relevance due to the driver’s complicated start to the season. After failing to start the first two races of 2026, Piastri returned to action in Japan and immediately showed competitiveness, reinforcing the team’s confidence in his potential.
As soon as he finally managed to compete in a full race this year, the Australian finished in second place and even took the lead after overtaking Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who won the race. Victory seemed possible, but the entry of a safety car at an unfavorable moment allowed the young Italian driver to make a free stop, changing the course of the contest.
Even with this setback, Piastri managed to hold off pressure from George Russell and Charles Leclerc to secure the 27th podium of his career. The performance was enough to impress Stella, who highlighted the driver’s evolution and his attitude throughout the start of the season: “Despite Oscar not starting the first two GPs at the beginning of the 2026 season, based on what we saw in free practice, the qualifying session, the race in Japan, and his general attitude and mental strength, I think we are seeing the best version of Oscar, the strongest Oscar since he has been in Formula 1,” Stella stated.
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The executive also highlighted how the Australian reacted to the initial difficulties, including the frustration of not starting his home race: “I think today (Sunday), finally, he had the opportunity to demonstrate that, and he did it in its entirety. Passing through two races, especially being his home race, without being able to start due to a totally avoidable situation, can really shake you,” he stated.
Stella also highlighted the driver’s positive influence within the team: “We saw his consistency, his strength, and a strength that he managed to transmit to the team. The team receives a lot of inspiration from the charismatic leadership that drivers can offer, and this was certainly a boost for everyone to overcome adversities,” he added.
Despite the positive result, the McLaren boss warned that the team still needs to evolve to compete for victories regularly, especially against Mercedes: “Today we were even surprised to be in a position to win. If we want to maintain this condition in the future, consistently, we will have to improve the chassis by a few tenths of a second, and that is the goal with the updates in the next races,” Stella concluded.
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