Zak Brown thinks Oscar Piastri is back, but the results say not yet
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says Oscar Piastri is returning to the driver he knew, though his 2026 results have yet to show it.
"I’m liking what I’m seeing out of Oscar." That's McLaren CEO Zak Brown on Oscar Piastri, and it's a feeling, not a comeback yet.
What Brown said in Singapore
Asked in Friday's press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix whether the 25-year-old was returning to the driver he knew, Brown responded: "I think he is."
He put Piastri's season down to the new generation of cars. "I think these cars are so complex. Some have adapted a little bit quicker than others, but I’m liking what I’m seeing out of Oscar," he said. "He’s feeling more confident and on top of things. I like where both our drivers are now."
Backing your driver in public is part of a CEO's job, and Brown is right to do it. A feeling isn't a result, though.
The numbers haven't caught up
Piastri finished third in the Drivers' Championship last season. This year has been harder. He has struggled to consistently extract performance from the new generation of cars, and his difficulties have largely centred on adapting his natural driving style to the demands of the MCL40. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has previously explained that Piastri has been unable to drive through "pure instinct" in certain conditions.
The gap to his team mate shows it. Lando Norris has outqualified Piastri at 11 of the 17 rounds so far and has won two grands prix. Piastri, a nine-time race winner, has two podiums this year.
Singapore was rough, not proof
Singapore brought fifth. The weekend was eventful. Piastri retired from Saturday's Sprint after a collision with Norris on the final lap, then a slow puncture on Sunday forced him into an unscheduled pit stop.
That's a rough weekend, not proof he's back. Brown spoke on the Friday, before any of it happened, and nothing that followed settles the question either way.
Brown's call is early, for us. The clearest sign of whether Piastri has his instinct back will come on a Saturday, not in a press conference. Watch his qualifying head-to-head with Norris at the next race. If that starts to turn, Brown will have called it first.
