Will Oscar Piastri strike back in Spielberg? “Let’s not delude ourselves”

Last year, Oscar Piastri was the centre of attention for much of the season. The young Australian impressed with his performances alongside his far more experienced team-mate Lando Norris and led the World Championship for much of the season. However, in the closing stages of the championship, the McLaren driver from Melbourne’s strong form began to wane and, in the end, he had to settle for third place, whilst his team-mate Lando Norris celebrated winning the world title.

The disappointment of the previous year was still palpable at the start of the 2026 season, and with his retirement at his home race, the 25-year-old continued his run of bad luck. In China, too, Piastri failed to score any points in the race, only returning to the podium in second place at the season’s third Grand Prix in Japan. Things didn’t go too badly for Mark Webber’s protégé at the subsequent race in Miami either. He crossed the line in third place.

Most recently, however, Piastri has once again struggled with his MCL40. In both Monaco and Barcelona, he had to settle for fifth place. Now the race weekend at the Red Bull Ring is coming up. The circuit in Styria has been a good venue for the McLaren team so far. Nevertheless, the nine-time Grand Prix winner remains cautious when it comes to his chances.

A positive surprise at the Red Bull Ring?

Ahead of the start of the eighth race weekend in Austria, Piastri initially stated: “I think, personally, I can be confident because I have a good understanding of why the Barcelona race was so difficult for me. I’ve done my homework and we know what we need to do to ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

However, the driver with 75 Grand Prix starts to his name was also quick to point out: “Yes, as a team we’ve had good races here in the past. But Ferrari made good progress in Barcelona, Mercedes set the benchmark for everyone else in Spain too, and I’ve heard that Red Bull Racing have something big in the pipeline here. So it won’t be easy for us. We’re under no illusions about that; we know we won’t be the team to beat. But I hope we’ll be close enough to capitalise on any opportunities that arise from the other drivers’ misfortunes. Finishing right up the front on our own merits will certainly be difficult. That said, I’m happy to be surprised in that regard.”

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