Oscar Piastri ‘quite tough’ admission as Lando Norris pulls clear at McLaren

Oscar Piastri has admitted there have been some “quite tough” weekends this season, with a calendar year set to pass since his most recent Formula 1 victory.

Piastri left Zandvoort last season with a 34-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, but was subsequently reeled in by both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen come season’s end, and is currently 55 points behind his teammate in 2026.

Oscar Piastri makes ‘quite tough weekends’ admission as Norris form improves

Piastri led the standings for a significant portion of last season, establishing himself as a firm frontrunner before his year somewhat petered out, and has struggled in recent weekends to match Norris’ outright pace.

Norris has attributed his performances of late to “doing a better job than everyone” in a moment of self-praise, having won two races in a row, while Piastri has yet to hit the same highs in 2026.

The Australian was reflective on how 2025 played out, and acknowledged both his and McLaren’s competitiveness overall has not been as he would have liked it so far in 2026.

“I mean, the second half of last year was definitely more challenging from a few errors,” Piastri told by PlanetF1.com and other media.

“We had a few chances, obviously, and this year has been challenging as well from a few different angles, both the competitiveness of us as a team and also myself.

“Some weekends in particular have been quite tough, so I think it’s just how things have played out here.”

With Norris having hit the front at two circuits which have seemingly suited the MCL40’s characteristics, McLaren is seeking to recover ground to Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings, with a two-part update having proven fruitful over the past two races.

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