A Year Without a Win, for the First Time in a While
Oscar Piastri’s 2026 season stands in sharp contrast to team-mate Lando Norris’s title defence. The Australian driver sits seventh in the standings with 120 points and recently passed a full calendar year without a Grand Prix victory.
Season Snapshot
- Seventh in the drivers’ championship with 120 points
- No wins in 2026, with his last victory coming at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix
- Fifth place at the Italian Grand Prix, his best recent result
- 172 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli
A “Purely Technical” Explanation
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has been direct in addressing Piastri’s dip in form, describing the issues as purely technical rather than anything mental, dismissing suggestions the slump is connected to how 2025 ended or how 2026 began. The comments came around the same time Piastri’s team-mate signed a new long-term deal, covered in our Norris contract update.
Struggles on Specific Circuit Types
Reports suggest Piastri has faced particular difficulty adapting his driving style on lower-grip circuits under 2026’s regulations, echoing challenges he faced on similar tracks during parts of his title-chasing 2025 campaign.
Still a Contributor to McLaren’s Bigger Picture
Despite the personal slump, Piastri’s points have still helped McLaren hold third in the constructors’ championship, working alongside Norris’s stronger title challenge to keep the team firmly in the fight behind Mercedes and Ferrari.
Conclusion
A season without a win is a rare occurrence for a driver of Piastri’s calibre, but with McLaren publicly backing a technical rather than personal explanation, the expectation remains that his form will recover before the year is out.