McLaren had a good performance at the Miami Formula 1 GP, and Oscar Piastri believes the team can already compete with Mercedes on equal terms. The Australian highlighted the progress after a significant update package.
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The performance last weekend reinforced the car’s development, but also shows there is still room for growth. Even though competitive, McLaren has not yet fully regained the level shown in the previous season.
In the Sprint race, the team shone with Lando Norris taking pole and victory, while Piastri finished second, a result that surprised internally. However, the scenario changed for the rest of the weekend, with difficulties in Q1, when Piastri advanced to Q2 by only 0.009 seconds, and a more challenging race on Sunday, despite recovering to third place after starting seventh, battling with George Russell and Charles Leclerc.
After the race, Piastri went straight to evaluating the battle with Mercedes: “I think so. We’ll have to see what they bring, because they didn’t bring much this weekend and still were, in qualifying and the main race, probably equal or even a bit faster over one lap. We’re not at last year’s level yet, but we’re getting there. With more updates to come, it’s a good position,” he said.
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The Australian driver also highlighted the impact of the novelties on the MCL40, practically transformed into a new car, but called for caution in the analysis: “We need to see where we are on different tracks. The Sprint one-two, purely on pace, was a big surprise for us,” Piastri concluded.
With more updates planned and the expectation of responses from Mercedes, McLaren’s evolution also reinforces the efficiency between wind tunnel and simulation, one of the biggest challenges in current Formula 1.
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