Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:21 / Updated Monday, April 13, 2026 10:22
Andrea Stella, the head of the McLaren, said that Oscar Piastri is in his best version, and the Australian's performance in the Japanese Grand Prix is a clear proof of this.
Piastri did not start the first two races of the new season after crashing on the grid in Australia, and then his car broke down before the start in China a week later. In Japan, however, he had no similar problems and took part in the race, where he even led in the opening stages, before being overtaken by Andrea Kimi Antonelli behind the safety car.
Andrea Stella: “We're seeing the best version of Oscar since he entered Formula 1”
Finally, Piastri finished second at 'Suzuka' where he showed good pace throughout the weekend. According to Stella, with his performance in Japan, his driver showed that we are currently seeing the best version of him since his Formula 1 debut.
“Although Oscar didn't start in the first two races, from what we saw in testing, practice, qualifying and his overall approach, we see the best version of him – the strongest Oscar since he entered Formula 1. He finally had the opportunity to prove it and he made the most of it,” Stella said, according to sportal.bg.
Last season Piastri fought until the end for the world title and can consider that he lost it, given that he was on the first place of the ranking for almost the entire season. This season, after 3 Grand Prix, he is in 6th place in the ranking.
Formula 1 driver standings
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Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 72 points
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George Russell (Mercedes) – 63
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 49
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Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 41
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Lando Norris (McLaren) – 25
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 21
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Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 17
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Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 15
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 12
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Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 10
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Arvin Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 4
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Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – 4
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Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 2
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Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 2
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Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 1
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Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 1
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Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 0
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Alex Albon (Williams) – 0
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Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – 0
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Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – 0
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Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 0
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Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 0
