Sports · Motorsport · 3 hrs ago
Piastri says McLaren must address MCL40’s difficult handling
Oscar Piastri says McLaren’s MCL40 is difficult to drive as the Formula 1 season approaches its final rounds.
The car is sensitive to conditions such as bumps and wind, and drivers must push hard to get the most from it.
McLaren has added suspension and diffuser upgrades, with more parts due to arrive, but it has not yet fully measured their effect.
Piastri said the car was faster than before the United States Grand Prix, though rivals remain quick and McLaren still has ground to make up.
He has also struggled on some circuits, particularly where low grip makes it harder to build a consistent rhythm.
The team is testing changes to understand the car better and hopes to make next year’s car less unpredictable.
Oscar Piastri says McLaren must find a way to make the MCL40 less difficult and sensitive to drive.
He says the car requires a different driving approach and has a narrow performance window.
McLaren is still assessing its latest upgrades, which include changes to the front suspension geometry and rear diffuser.
Piastri said the car was faster after the upgrades than before the United States Grand Prix, but competitors remained quick.
He said McLaren had made progress before Austin but still had room to improve.
- Who
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver.
- What
- He says McLaren needs to address the MCL40’s difficult, sensitive handling.
- When
- He discussed the issue in Mexico City ahead of the final rounds of the 2026 season.
- Where
- Mexico City; the latest update elements were introduced at the United States Grand Prix.
- Why
- The car has a narrow operating window and is difficult to drive consistently, especially in bumps or windy conditions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
McLaren’s triple header was a very good step in the right direction, according to Piastri.
McLaren introduced a new front suspension geometry and rear diffuser tweaks.
Piastri said the car was faster than before Austin, while describing Austin as a step back.
Piastri told media that driving the car had become a big challenge.
- Driver
- Oscar Piastri
- Car
- McLaren MCL40
- Update at United States GP
- New front suspension geometry and rear diffuser tweaks
- Car handling
- Sensitive to many factors, including bumps and windy conditions
- Performance window
- Narrow and specific
1 source
What people are saying
We have to find a way in the next few months. Hopefully it's not years, but obviously there's fundamental aspects of these cars that aren't going to change.
The way you have to drive it, it's quite specific, and quite a narrow window.
Austin was definitely a bit of a step back, but at the moment sometimes you need to take two steps forward and one step back to find your feet and experiment with things.
The car is faster now than it was before Austin, but obviously our competitors are very quick as well, so we know we've still got ground to make up.