McLaren ace Oscar Piastri after the disappointment in Hungary: “We’re not fooling ourselves”

Lando Norris’s face was a picture of joy and relief as he climbed onto the top step of the podium. The world champion had just celebrated his first Grand Prix victory of the year at the Hungaroring – and was understandably relieved. At the other end of the emotional spectrum was his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri, who didn’t see the chequered flag.

The Australian had managed to take the lead and had high hopes of a strong result for a long time. However, a collision with Williams driver Carlos Sainz – whom he was about to lap – and a gearbox problem ultimately meant that the driver currently seventh in the World Championship came away empty-handed. In an interview with his McLaren team, Piastri therefore concluded that the historic Woking-based team needs to step up its game.

The 25-year-old explained: “We’re well aware of where we stand. We’re under no illusions; we know we’re lacking in performance. And we really want to find that. We’ve got some good ideas on how to achieve that. And I think everyone is keen to get back to the front and celebrate successes.”

A look back at the team’s own history offers cause for hope, as McLaren managed to fight their way back to the front in 2023 after a difficult first half of the season. “The past few years are naturally encouraging. Just look at what we’ve already achieved as a team, and how we managed to move up the order over the course of a year. That’s obviously a good thing,” said Piastri.

“In 2023, we were in a much more difficult position than we are today. And we managed to make great progress and fight our way back to the podium. The way Lando and I work together and focus on making the car faster so we can compete for good results again hasn’t changed. Together, we’re still having strong, productive discussions with the team, and we’re all working towards the same goal,” added the nine-time Grand Prix winner.