At Silverstone, a first-lap collision with Liam Lawson sent Oscar Piastri's British Grand Prix into the lower order, and the day ended with him eleventh and outside the points. It is a small moment within a longer season, one that asks how quickly a title dream can thin when fortune and machinery both turn away. McLaren, the reigning constructors' champions, still have no win this year, and the question now is whether patient engineering can close a gap that has been stubbornly consistent. Hungary holds the promise of upgrades, and Spa arrives first without them.
Piastri Faces Wasted Season After Silverstone Collision Leaves McLaren Struggling
Piastri's race was over before the first lap was done
Mark
Piastri finished 11th. Is that a bad result or a salvaged one?
Mimi
Both, really. After a damaged front wing and a stop that left him over a minute behind, getting to 11th is respectable. But it is one place outside the points, so it earns nothing.
Luke
Worth noting the source only says the collision happened on lap one and that he was sandwiched. It doesn't assign blame, and neither should we.
Mark
The standings look bleak. Nearly 100 points behind Antonelli.
Mimi
And Antonelli didn't score either, so the gap didn't grow from this race. It's already that large.
Luke
"Nearly 100" is the report's own rounding. No exact figure is given, so I'd keep it loose.
Mark
Piastri said the pace was a bit stronger. Does that matter?
Mimi
It's a small encouraging sign, especially his comment that the car was better in clean air. But he also pointed to rear grip as an ongoing problem.
Luke
It's his own assessment, though, and the collision meant it never got tested in a real race. We can't say the car has actually improved.
Mark
Then Hungary is the real hope?
Mimi
McLaren says major upgrades are coming there, and Spa gets none. So the next race is a wait.
Luke
And we don't know yet what those upgrades will deliver. Stella described a consistent gap to the front, but no one has quantified it or promised it will close.
Der Puls
- A front-wing wound on the opening lap turned Piastri's race into a scramble from the start.
- A pit stop that cost over a minute erased any realistic chance of points before the race had found its shape.
- Piastri now sits sixth, nearly 100 points behind Kimi Antonelli, with a title that once felt close slipping away.
- McLaren's car still trails the front-runners, and Stella says the gap must close before podiums and wins are possible.
- Major upgrades are promised for Hungary, but Spa comes two weeks sooner with nothing new to offer.
At Silverstone, a first-lap collision with Liam Lawson sent Oscar Piastri's British Grand Prix into the lower order, and the day ended with him eleventh and outside the points. It is a small moment within a longer season, one that asks how quickly a title dream can thin when fortune and machinery both turn away. McLaren, the reigning constructors' champions, still have no win this year, and the question now is whether patient engineering can close a gap that has been stubbornly consistent. Hungary holds the promise of upgrades, and Spa arrives first without them.
Oscar Piastri's Silverstone was over almost before it began. Contact with Liam Lawson on the first lap damaged his front wing, and a pit stop that cost more than a minute left him with no realistic route to points. He crossed the line eleventh, just outside the top ten, while the race he might have fought for unfolded without him.
Up front, the story belonged to others. Verstappen's late loss of control brought out a safety car that ended the race under caution, cancelling the one-lap shootout the home crowd had hoped to see. Charles Leclerc took the win, his first in nearly two years, and the British fans booed.
For Piastri, the 25-year-old from Melbourne, the weekend deepens a hard stretch. A year ago he dreamed of the title. Now he is sixth, almost 100 points behind Antonelli. He said the car felt stronger in clean air and that the team is working on rear grip, but the damage meant there was nothing to capitalise on.
McLaren remain winless in 2026. Norris called the team's shortcomings a hell of a lot to improve, and Andrea Stella named the consistent gap to the front as the weekend's clearest lesson. Major upgrades are coming in Hungary, but Spa, just two weeks away, will have none, and Piastri faces an uphill climb until then.
Oscar Piastri's British Grand Prix was effectively finished before the first lap was over. At Silverstone on Sunday, the McLaren driver made contact with Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls on the opening lap, and the damage to his front wing sent him down the order. A pit stop followed, and it left him more than a minute behind, which ended any realistic hope of scoring points.
He still managed to finish 11th, just outside the points. Up front, the race was unfolding without him. Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Max Verstappen were tussling over the podium places when Verstappen lost control with four laps remaining, bringing out a safety car. The race ended under it. Plans for a one-lap shootout were aborted, and the record British crowd, which had wanted to watch its hometown heroes Russell and Hamilton take on Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for the win, booed.
Leclerc took the victory over 52 laps, his first Grand Prix win in nearly two years.
For Piastri, the 25-year-old from Melbourne, the result adds to a difficult stretch. This time last year he was dreaming of a world title. Now he sits sixth in the drivers' standings, nearly 100 points behind the leader, Kimi Antonelli, who also failed to score in England after an unlucky afternoon of his own. Piastri will need either a miracle or a substantial gain in the car's performance from the McLaren mechanics to get back into contention.
Piastri described the collision plainly after the race. He said he was sandwiched on the first lap, which broke his front wing, and that there was little he could have done. He said the car's pace was a bit stronger than recently, and that it was better in clean air, but the damage meant the team could not capitalise. He added that the team is working to improve the car, particularly its rear grip, and that he would debrief and turn to Spa.
His team-mate Lando Norris finished fourth, behind Hamilton, but the result did not change the larger picture. McLaren, the reigning Constructors' champions, remain winless in 2026. Norris was blunt: the team, he said, has a hell of a lot to improve.
Team principal Andrea Stella said the clearest lesson of the weekend was that the car's performance must improve. He described a consistent gap to the front-runners that has to close if McLaren is to contend for podiums and wins, which he called the team's ultimate goal. He said major upgrades are planned for Hungary, and that until then everyone trackside and at the factory must keep working and make the most of every opportunity.
The calendar is not kind. The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is only two weeks away, and there will be no upgrades for it. Any step forward from the planned package will have to wait until Hungary, which leaves Piastri facing an uphill fight in between.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We have a hell of a lot to improve.— Lando Norris, McLaren driver
The clearest takeaway from this weekend is that we must improve the performance of the car.— Andrea Stella, McLaren team principal
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei PerthNow ↗
Sports