The strong start to the season by the Woking team has allowed Andrea Stella’s squad to build a reassuring lead over its competitors. On track too, things look very promising for the papaya-colored car, by far the most well-equipped and seemingly untouchable in the short term. The gap to their rivals appears so solid that McLaren, according to some, could already shift its focus entirely to 2026. Oscar Piastri is striking fear into opponents and acknowledges the British team’s superiority.
With four wins in six rounds, the young Australian driver leads the world championship standings by 16 points over his teammate, Lando Norris. The 2001-born driver is showing in this early part of the season that he has what it takes to handle the pressure and impose his pace, as shown by his rare mistakes and the calm with which he’s approaching this 2025 campaign. In addition to his talent, Oscar Piastri’s dominance in F1 is made possible by the MCL39 produced by the Woking factory. The superiority of the papaya-colored car might allow McLaren to already turn the page and concentrate on 2026 — something Oscar Piastri was careful not to comment on too directly.
“I wouldn’t know,” said the McLaren driver. Oscar Piastri stated that it’s not his job to encourage the team to look ahead to 2026. The Australian explained this during the post-Miami press conference: “There are many other people far smarter than me who will calculate when it’s time to shift focus to next year.”
Oscar Piastri warns: McLaren thinking about 2026?
In Florida, McLaren flexed its muscles, and the current championship leader isn’t hiding the strength of his car. “Clearly now we have a solid advantage, but it hasn’t been like that every weekend. In Jeddah, for example, we were all very close; we didn’t have such a reassuring margin. Miami was a whole different story, but I don’t expect every Grand Prix to be like that.”
Sometimes the gap is huge, sometimes more contained — but it’s always there. The difference between McLaren and its rivals doesn’t look like it will close anytime soon, and Oscar Piastri is enjoying the moment. “I think we have an advantage wherever we go,” admitted the British team’s rising star. “Sometimes the advantage is smaller, sometimes bigger.”
Is this enough for McLaren to shift focus to 2026? Oscar Piastri gave the rivals a scare: “Clearly, in the position we’re in right now, we are very focused on next year. We want to make sure we win both championships this year and put ourselves in a good position for the year to come.”
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