Oscar Piastri raises 'specific weakness' argument after McLaren defy expectations

Oscar Piastri believes McLaren's MCL40 does not suffer from a particular flaw, but rather needs a lift across the board if the team are to fight consistently at the sharp end of the grid.

The Australian finished fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix, climbing from seventh on the grid to beat both Ferraris at the Red Bull Ring, a result he described as better than the team had anticipated.

Piastri finished just under 22 seconds behind race winner George Russell but comfortably ahead of Lewis Hamilton in fifth and Charles Leclerc in eighth, a noteworthy scalp given Ferrari sit 45 points clear of McLaren in the constructors' standings.

"It felt like a good race, and we were able to execute well and apply some things I've learned over the last few weeks," Piastri said after the grand prix in Spielberg

"The pace was stronger than we expected, and to be able to successfully challenge and beat Ferrari was a definite positive for the team.

"I feel like we got the absolute most out of the car and that's a good feeling."

Defending champions stuck in third

Yet the 25-year-old was quick to temper any excitement, acknowledging that McLaren remains some way off the pace required to trouble Mercedes and Ferrari regularly.

It has been a chastening title defence for McLaren, who swept to both the constructors' and drivers' championships in 2025.

Eight rounds into the new campaign, the team sits third on 159 points, already 143 behind Mercedes at the top and 45 adrift of Ferrari.

The team are yet to win a grand prix in 2026, with their four podium finishes, two apiece for Piastri and Lando Norris, underlining a car that can occasionally punch above its weight but lacks the raw pace to do so week in, week out.

Piastri and Norris remain locked in a tight internal battle, separated by a single point in fourth and fifth in the drivers' championship on 80 and 79 points respectively.

Austria provided a boost for Piastri, who scored 12 points to Norris's six after his team-mate could manage only seventh, but with no single area to target and no silver bullet to find, the MCL40 simply needs to be faster everywhere, according to the Australian.

"However, we still need to find more pace if we want to be up there challenging the top three consistently," the nine-time grand prix winner added.

"We don't have a specific area of weakness; we just need more overall performance and grip to take that next step.

"We'll keep chipping away at it, and we'll focus on carrying this momentum into the next few races..."