Oscar Piastri admits his McLaren car is a nightmare to drive. He says the MCL40 needs to be driven like it is in a qualifying lap on every single turn. This specific requirement creates a narrow window for success. Any bump or wind makes the car very hard to handle. Piastri calls the current situation “two steps forward, one step back” as the team tries to fix these deep issues.
The Mexican Grand Prix weekend highlighted these struggles again. Piastri told reporters in Mexico City that he must drive “a lot differently now than what I’ve had to [previously].” He notes that the car is faster than it was before the Austin race, but competitors are also very quick. McLaren applied new parts to the front suspension and rear diffuser last weekend in the United States. However, the team has not yet measured if these changes actually raised the performance ceiling.
The specific driving problem
The core issue is that the car is very sensitive to many things. It is not just bumps that cause trouble. Piastri explained to media including Motorsport.com that the way you have to drive it is quite specific. When external factors like windy conditions appear, the challenge grows much larger. This sensitivity means drivers cannot just push hard; they must be perfect.
McLaren is still trying to understand how the latest update works. The team is fitting new elements as soon as they can be shipped. Piastri believes they will find a way to solve this, but he warns it could take years. According to his statement to the press, while hopefully it won’t take years, fundamental aspects of these cars will obviously remain unchanged. The Austin race was a step back, but the triple header before it was a good step forward. The team needs to keep experimenting to find their feet.
The toll of the triple-header schedule
The physical toll of the schedule adds to the stress of driving such a difficult machine. Max Verstappen says it is normal for drivers to get sick during this run of three races in a row. Two drivers missed media day in Mexico City because of illness. Verstappen told reporters, “It is, of course, always quite tough on your body, like three weeks in a row.” He observed that occasionally misfortune can strike with a stomach bug.
Verstappen pointed out that the toughest part is not being able to go home to see family. He said, “For me, the toughest bit is that you can’t really go home in between to be back with the family.” This lack of recovery time makes the physical demands even harder to manage. With nine race weekends left in the 2026 season, three of them are arranged as triple-headers. The pressure on the drivers and the teams is at its peak right now.
Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris are both struggling with the same car issues.
