Oscar Piastri deals McLaren Miami upgrades verdict

Oscar Piastri has conceded that McLaren's upgrade package being introduced at this weekend's Miami Grand Prix is "not going to be enough" to fight Mercedes.

Like Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Piastri believes the gap to the Silver Arrows is too significant to be made up by a single upgrade package, although he is hopeful that steps will be made.

After failing to start the opening two grands prix — Piastri crashed on the reconnaissance lap in Australia and suffered a technical fault in China — the Australian bounced back in Japan.

Piastri led the opening stages of the Japanese GP and felt comfortable while defending against George Russell, to the extent that he felt he could claim victory.

Misfortune with the timing of a safety car ended the 25-year-old's hopes of a race win in Suzuka, although a solid podium was secured — McLaren's first of 2026.

With major upgrades for Miami, Piastri does expect an improved MCL60, although he does not expect it to suddenly beat Mercedes on outright pace.

Asked for what he expects from McLaren's upgrades, Piastri said: "I think hopefully we’ll be faster. Obviously, that’s the plan. We’ll have to wait and see where exactly we come out. 

"I think it’s, again, a step in the right direction for us. It’s not going to be enough to challenge Mercedes this weekend, I don’t think, but it’s definitely in the right direction. 

"Obviously, we’re expecting a lot of other teams to bring upgrades as well, so hopefully ours are better than theirs. That’s the plan. But I think the motivation and the confidence in the team at the moment is high. I think we’re on a good trajectory again. 

"And I think Japan was nice to go into the break with a bit of confidence in showing our potential and hopefully we’ve just added to that now. So hopefully it’s a good step forward."