The new Formula 1 rules forced Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to significantly change their driving styles, according to Andrea Stella, McLaren’s chief. The executive described the impact of the 2026 regulations as ‘disruptive’, but praised how the two drivers responded to the challenge.
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In the 2026 season, the category underwent a major overhaul, with significant changes to aerodynamic rules and power units. The changes required drivers to move away from traditional driving characteristics to extract maximum performance from the new cars.
Stella said he was satisfied with the work done by the McLaren duo in the first part of the season: “I am very satisfied with the performance of our driver duo this season,” he said, before highlighting that the difficulty is not exclusive to Norris and Piastri.
“For Oscar and Lando, as well as for their twenty teammates on the Formula 1 grid, the impact of the new regulations was nothing less than disruptive,” Stella explained. According to him, the new generation of single-seaters requires not only an adaptation in driving style but also a deeper understanding of how to utilize the full potential offered by the new power units.
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This last aspect has become one of the main challenges for drivers, as the new power units received a significant increase in electric delivery. At the same time, manufacturers faced reliability issues during the adaptation process, which added an additional difficulty to the drivers’ work.
“The learning process sometimes proved complicated and was slowed down, especially in the early stages, by various reliability problems,” Stella added. The McLaren chief also said that Norris and Piastri responded appropriately, working daily together with the team, although there is still room for improvement, especially in the interaction between driver and power unit, an area that McLaren has been developing with its partners at Mercedes-HPP.
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