McLaren F1’s Oscar Piastri left the 2026 F1 British GP without the result he had hoped for at the team’s home race after a Lap 1 incident left him with front wing damage. Having pitted on the following lap, the Australian recovered to finish P11 but admitted after the race that McLaren still has significant work to do to return to their winning ways.
Speaking in the print media zone after the race, Piastri reflected on the Lap 1 incident with both Racing Bulls drivers that ultimately derailed his race, saying: “I got sandwiched in the straight. Yeah, we went pretty wide and I had no way to go. I broke my front wing, so that was the end of the day.”
Although McLaren struggled for overall performance throughout the course of the weekend, he said they could still take some positives from their race pace despite the disappointing outcome. Piastri acknowledged that, while Mercedes and Ferrari remain ahead, McLaren still has plenty of work to do to catch up.
“I think we’re just lacking a bit of overall performance, I think in the windy conditions where it was hot, it exposed us even more. I think today we were probably a bit more competitive again, which was good.”
He added: “We know we miss that last step to get to […], especially Mercedes and Ferrari. So yeah, we’ve got some work to do.”
With Piastri qualifying P8 and teammate Lando Norris P6 on Saturday, both McLaren drivers were left frustrated but not surprised by a difficult Qualifying session.
Piastri: McLaren “need a pretty big step up” compared to competitors
With Ferrari’s aggressive development plan paying dividends in recent races, the Australian hopes McLaren can become more competitive in the upcoming races, especially with upgrade packages planned. Although they could not bring the fight to the Red Bulls at the 2026 F1 British GP, Piastri believes they had the pace to challenge them.
“I mean they are very different circuits to what we have here. And hopefully we’re more competitive. Hopefully we have some additions to the car to make it a bit quicker. Yeah, we need a pretty big step.
“I mean, we still try and fight, of course. I think today we had the pace to beat the Red Bulls, I think. But, yeah, I never had a chance to show up.”
Having endured a difficult 2026 F1 season so far, Piastri emphasised that McLaren must deliver a significant step forward to consistently challenge current frontrunners Mercedes and Ferrari.
“Yeah, we know we need a pretty big step up compared to Mercedes and Ferrari,” he said.
Currently sitting 6th in the Drivers’ Standings with 82 points, Piastri will hope Spa-Francorchamps delivers a stronger and better weekend.
