Oscar Piastri is mathematically out of contention for the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, confirming a season that has fallen well short of expectations for the McLaren driver.
More than 400 days have now passed since Oscar Piastri last won a Formula 1 race — 402 to be exact — while his 60-point deficit to team-mate Lando Norris highlights just how difficult the campaign has become.
Oscar Piastri’s 2026 title challenge is officially over
Last season, Oscar Piastri was one of Formula 1’s standout performers, but the increased pressure that came with leading the championship ultimately took a heavy toll. In 2026, the Australian has struggled to rediscover the consistency and composure that previously characterised his driving.
Oscar Piastri and Isack Hadjar are now the only drivers among Formula 1’s four leading teams yet to win a race this season, although the young Red Bull driver has more obvious mitigating circumstances for not having reached that milestone.
The latest championship picture can be followed in the Formula 1 driver standings.
Speed has been there, but results have not followed
Oscar Piastri’s season has mirrored McLaren’s own inconsistent campaign. There have been flashes of genuine speed in Japan, Belgium, Miami, Hungary and Azerbaijan, yet the results have rarely matched the potential.
Two podium finishes, at Suzuka and Miami, remain the highlights of his year alongside a series of more modest results. Lando Norris has only one additional podium finish, but crucially has also taken victories at the Hungaroring and Zandvoort.
Only across the last two races has Lando Norris begun to make significant mistakes of his own.
Oscar Piastri, by contrast, appears to have lost some of the feeling and calmness that defined his previous season. His determination to win remains unchanged, but it has been more visible away from the track than through his results.
Piastri has struggled to adapt to the new McLaren
The new-generation cars may not suit Oscar Piastri’s driving style particularly well, but the comparison with Lando Norris suggests the Australian has also adapted less effectively than his team-mate.
Too many mistakes have accumulated over the season. One of the most costly came at Baku, where a lock-up ruined what had been shaping up as a potential podium result through an unforced error.
For a driver with championship ambitions, more is required. His ultimate goal of becoming Formula 1 world champion has therefore been postponed once again.
Bad luck has also shaped Oscar Piastri’s season
The year began badly for car number 81. Pre-season testing was compromised when problems with his car limited his running, before the opening race in Australia brought a dramatic formation-lap crash caused by an MCL40 software error.
The following race offered another opportunity for redemption, but neither McLaren took part on Sunday.
Oscar Piastri’s final retirement of the season came in particularly painful circumstances in Hungary. At a circuit where McLaren was the strongest team and which has traditionally suited the Australian, a gearbox failure ended his race while he was fighting Lando Norris for victory.
Those incidents inevitably contributed to his disappointing results, but the comparison within McLaren remains the most significant benchmark.
Lando Norris comparison leaves Piastri with work to do
Despite driving for the same team and having access to the same car, the gap between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris has remained substantial, particularly in qualifying.
The reigning world champion has frequently extracted more than the car appeared capable of delivering, with Miami one example, and currently holds a 60-point advantage over his Australian team-mate.
It is disappointing to see Oscar Piastri in the middle section of the standings after the remarkable performances he produced during the first half of last season. Several ingredients are still missing before he can return to winning regularly.
Luck has certainly not always favoured him, but the comparison with Lando Norris remains difficult to ignore. For now, the numbers tell a clear story: Oscar Piastri’s 2026 season has not met the standard expected of a genuine Formula 1 title contender.
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