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Oscar Piastri Struggled in Hungary: McLaren Explains Disappointing Weekend
The Australian felt off his game, and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explains why Piastri was on the back foot all weekend in Budapest.
By Michael de Vries - 2026-07-26T09:21:46.000Z - 2 min read
Oscar Piastri endured a far from seamless race weekend at the Hungaroring, particularly compared to teammate Lando Norris. The Australian was noticeably on the back foot throughout and never felt entirely comfortable in the car, hinting himself that the situation felt 'not ideal' on a personal level.
One of the main factors disrupting his preparation was being required to step aside from his car. During crucial First Free Practice, Piastri had to hand his seat over to test driver Leonardo Fornaroli. This meant an immediate loss of vital track time for the young driver, who needs every lap to adapt fully.
Missing that opening session proved a heavy blow for the remainder of the weekend, according to McLaren. Especially on a technical circuit like the Hungaroring, where every lap counts toward building confidence with the car and track, the lost track time presented a significant setback that also complicated finding an optimal setup.
Furthermore, Piastri received the new floor update—a key component in McLaren's recent upgrade package—later than Norris. He was only able to test the technical modification extensively starting on Saturday, putting him further behind in critical data collection and fine-tuning.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has since addressed the reasons behind Piastri's relative deficit in detail. He remains firm in his conviction that sitting out Friday's practice session had a far greater impact on Piastri's overall performance and feel throughout the weekend than receiving the new floor later.
The Italian team boss emphasized how fundamental that first session is for a Formula 1 driver's preparation. It provides the opportunity to work thoroughly on baseline setup, explore the car's limits, and understand tyre behavior. Without that essential session, Piastri effectively started at a major disadvantage.
Ultimately, this led to a persistent gap to his experienced teammate Norris across the entire Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. The combination of lost track time and delayed updates left Piastri fighting on the back foot from the very beginning.