McLaren principal Andrea Stella has opened up about why Oscar Piastri continues to struggle this season, particularly on circuits where grip is at a premium. The Australian has had a tough 2026 campaign, failing to score in the first two races before consistently getting outpaced by teammate Lando Norris. At last week's Dutch Grand Prix, the gap was stark, with Norris taking pole and the win while Piastri finished sixth, over 32 seconds behind.

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Stella explained that Piastri's issues on low-grip tracks boil down to something surprisingly straightforward, even if the fix isn't easy. When the car lacks grip, Piastri has to overthink his driving rather than relying on pure instinct, which costs him tenths each lap. It's a purely technical problem, Stella stressed, not psychological. The young Australian has to consciously adapt his driving style and expectations to match what the car is capable of, and that mental processing translates directly into lost time on track.

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At Zandvoort, there were other factors at play too. A slow pit stop by the team cost Piastri position to George Russell, a mistake Stella owned up to immediately. Additionally, Piastri struggled to get his hard tyres into the right window during his second stint, a problem the team didn't experience in the first run. These are things McLaren can work on and improve.

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But Stella also highlighted just how brutal the current championship battle has become. With multiple teams within a tenth of a second of each other, any small optimization miss suddenly means the difference between fighting for position and finishing sixth. That's the reality of 2026 F1. Despite the frustrations, Stella expressed confidence in Piastri's improvements over the weekend and believes there's more to come for the rest of the season.

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