Oscar Piastri's 2026: “more lows than highs” for McLaren's Australian
Two non-starts, two early podiums and a long wait since: where Piastri stands before the final six races.
A year after fighting Lando Norris for the 2025 title, Oscar Piastri is seventh in the 2026 drivers' standings on 138 points after Singapore, according to RacingNews365. That leaves him out of mathematical contention with Kimi Antonelli on 340.
His season started badly. He did not start either of the first two rounds, once after a self-inflicted incident in Melbourne and once because of an electrical problem in China, PlanetF1 reported. He then finished second in Japan and third in Miami.
The podiums dried up after that. In Hungary he led for half the race before a late retirement, and he went into the summer break without a podium in seven races. “Probably more lows than highs, unfortunately,” he told RacingNews365 in August.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Piastri was still adapting to the 2026 cars, which he described as “low grip cars”, and that there is pace to be found. In Singapore Piastri finished fifth, one place behind Norris, per Malay Mail.
The season finale at Yas Marina on Sunday 6 December gives him one more chance to end a hard year on a high.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2026Race day Sun 6 Dec · Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: RacingNews365, PlanetF1, Pitwall, Malay Mail
