Stella links Piastri’s gap to Norris to driving style and car demands

After 20 races of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Oscar Piastri is 94 points behind McLaren team-mate Lando Norris. Earlier this season, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said Piastri’s difficulty matching Norris was technical rather than psychological, linking it to the demands of the car and the way Piastri has to drive.

Norris has won three races in 2026, while Piastri has yet to win. Piastri is seventh in the standings on 152 points; Norris is one place higher on 246. That reverses the picture from 2025: Piastri had long held the upper hand, but Norris took the lead late in the season and became world champion, with Piastri third.

Stella says the 2026 cars offer less grip overall. In races with high tyre degradation, Piastri has to change his natural driving style; if he sticks to it, he loses performance. Stella says that adjustment costs a few tenths because Piastri must consciously think about how he drives instead of relying on instinct.

Piastri has also pointed to driving style rather than setup. After the Dutch Grand Prix, he said a setup difference did not really explain his deficit to Norris and that his driving style had to be part of the answer. He has identified the rear of the MCL40 as a particular challenge. At Zandvoort he felt relatively comfortable in qualifying but could not find pace in the race; the difference between his qualifying and race pace has recurred.

McLaren has added technical capacity to help Piastri and improve the fit between driver and car. Whether that work has had a measurable effect is still unclear. Stella says McLaren must also improve its execution and become more in tune with Piastri and the MCL40.