This time last year Australian Formula One star Oscar Piastri was dreaming about winning a world title.
Fast forward 12 months and the 25-year-old can’t wait to leave the nightmare of the last seven months behind him after a disastrous British Grand Prix on Sunday.
While Charles LeClerc was celebrating his first Grand Prix triumph in nearly two years after a dramatic 52 laps around the world-famous Silverstone, Piastri’s race had already been over before it started.
Sign up to The Nightly’s newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.
Piastri made contact with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson on the opening lap, damaging his front wing and sending him down the order before a pit stop put him more than a minute behind, ending any hopes of the McLaren driver scoring points.
He did well to finish 11th as Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Max Verstappen all tussled over the podium places before Verstappen lost control and forced a safety car with only four laps remaining.
And that’s where the racing ended, plans for a one-lap shootout aborted, drawing boos from the record British crowd who wanted to watch hometown heros Russell and Hamilton challenge Ferrari’s LeClerc for victory.
Failing to score in Silverstone leaves Piastri sixth in the Driver’s standings, nearly 100 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli who also failed to score after an unlucky Grand Prix in England.
He will either need a miracle or a substantial lift in performance from his car, courtesy of the McLaren mechanics, to find a way back into contention and with only two weeks until the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa where there will not be any upgrades, the young Melbournian knows he’s fighting an uphill battle.
“A tough day. I got sandwiched on the first lap which broke my front wing. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could have done and it ruined my race,” he said post-race.
“Our pace was a bit stronger today, and the car was better in clean air, but the collision meant we couldn’t capitalise on any of it.
“The team are working hard to improve the car, especially around rear grip, so we will keep pushing. We’ll debrief and turn our focus to Spa.”
Piastri’s team-mate Lando Norris was fourth behind Hamilton, meaning the reigning Constructors champions are still winless in 2026.
“We have a hell of a lot to improve,” Norris said.
Oscar Piastri in parc ferme during the Sprint. Credit: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also acknowledged the team were struggling.
“The clearest takeaway from this weekend is that we must improve the performance of the car. We have a consistent gap to the front-runners that we need to close if we are to be in contention for podiums and wins, which is our ultimate goal.
“We have some major upgrades planned for Hungary, and until then, the entire team trackside and at the factory must continue to work hard and maximise every opportunity.”
