Oscar Piastri believes McLaren is still on the backfoot compared to title-favourites Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri believes McLaren is currently unable to win F1 races “on merit,” expressing that Mercedes remains ahead but cautioning that McLaren is “not too far off.” Despite McLaren’s third place in the constructors’ standings after five races, the team is 113 points behind Mercedes and 41 points behind Ferrari in second. McLaren has faced challenges, including three Did Not Starts in 16 opportunities and setbacks like the disastrous Canadian GP. Piastri and Norris faced difficulties in Montreal, with Norris retiring due to a gearbox failure and Piastri receiving a time penalty for a collision with Alex Albon, despite both starting on intermediates on a drying track. The team introduced a significant upgrade package in Miami and Canada, giving Piastri hope for McLaren’s return to winning ways in F1, with their last wins dating back to the 2025 Dutch GP and Norris’s victory in Sao Paulo. Piastri acknowledged the need to improve the car’s performance and noted the positive progress made during the Canadian GP weekend, emphasizing the continuous quest for enhancements in car speed and power unit performance to get closer to the competition, reiterating McLaren’s position as not yet capable of winning races solely on merit but indicating they are approaching that level.
