Oscar Piastri's Formula One season went from bad to worse on Monday morning Australian time, with the McLaren driver finishing seventh at the United States Grand Prix and being ordered to let teammate Lando Norris past during the race.
Former driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle, who had earlier backed the Australian to recover his form, now concedes it has been painful to watch Piastri race in 2026.
What happened at the Circuit of the Americas
According to News.com.au, Piastri started from seventh on the grid and finished in the same position at the Austin circuit, stretching his podium drought to 15 races. He crossed the line more than 50 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and more than 20 seconds behind Norris.
The most uncomfortable moment came early in the race. Norris complained to his race engineer that he was being held up behind the Australian, and Piastri was told that his teammate was on a different strategy. Piastri duly moved aside.
“I'm being held up now. I'm closer to him than the car that's ahead,” Norris said over team radio, as reported by News.com.au.
Brundle's verdict on Piastri's decline
Writing in his Sky Sports F1 column, Brundle said Piastri had suffered another disappointing afternoon, finishing 52 seconds behind the winner and showing little frontrunning pace from early in the race.
“Oscar simply can't seem to gel with the 2026 cars, and it's painful to witness after his stellar run last year,” Brundle wrote.
The commentary marked a shift for Brundle, who had previously argued that Piastri could turn his season around. The Australian's slide in 2026 has been stark. He trailed Norris by just 13 points at the end of last season; he now sits 67 points behind his teammate in the drivers' standings.
Why the 2026 cars do not suit Piastri
The technical explanation for the slump centres on the sharp reduction in downforce introduced by this year's regulations, which is thought to be around 30 per cent. Piastri's driving style favours smooth inputs, and the changes have stripped away the strengths that made him a title contender in 2025.
As Motorsport reported, Piastri has admitted that the qualities that worked so well for him last season have become his downfall this year. He said much of the work he has done recently has focused on himself rather than the car.
“We've tried various things, I think what's been challenging this year, you can't quickly fix. I think even trying to fix it overall is not an easy thing at all,” Piastri told media last week.
“We've been trying some things. It's been a lot of hard work in terms of how I adapt myself to the car, because the things that were often working so well for me at points last year that are kind of the things that are my downfall in a lot of weekends this year.”
RacingNews365 also reported Piastri's comments on the mental challenge of abandoning driving habits he had relied on for years.
“When you can't rely on the things that you normally want to rely on, it is always challenging, both in terms of actually adapting, but also, when you've been used to something working for you for a long time, trying to go away from that, there's a mental challenge to that as well,” he said.
“So I feel like we're making progress and things are starting to feel a little bit more comfortable, but there's still room to go.”
Austin weekend compounded McLaren's problems
The American round brought further complications. Auto Action reported that Norris had qualified ahead of Piastri but lost his lap to a track limits violation at Turn 19, dropping the reigning world champion behind the Australian on the grid.
Piastri himself described the weekend as a puzzle, with Speedcafe quoting him calling his struggles a head scratcher after another frustrating session at the Circuit of the Americas. After the race, he admitted that McLaren simply did not have the pace, according to Grande Prémio.
Brundle also noted that Piastri's lack of pace had a knock-on effect on George Russell, who finished eighth, 54 seconds behind his winning teammate Antonelli. Russell was handed a five-second penalty, half the usual sanction, after running wide at the Turn 12 hairpin on the opening lap while defending against Piastri.
What comes next for the Australian
Piastri will work intensively with McLaren's engineers during the break in an effort to modify the car to suit his smooth driving style. The 30 per cent reduction in downforce is viewed inside the team as a major factor in his fall from grace.
The challenge for McLaren is that the fix cannot come quickly. Piastri's own assessment is that the problems of 2026 resist a fast solution, and with a 67-point deficit to Norris, the intra-team battle at the top of the standings has effectively been settled in the Briton's favour.
For Australian fans, the question is no longer whether Piastri can win this season, but whether he can rediscover his 2025 form before the next regulation cycle arrives.
Frequently asked questions
How long has Oscar Piastri's podium drought lasted?
Piastri has now gone 15 races without a podium finish, after ending the United States Grand Prix in seventh place.
How far behind Lando Norris is Piastri in the standings?
Piastri trails his McLaren teammate by 67 points, having been just 13 points behind Norris at the end of the 2025 season.
What has caused Piastri's struggles in 2026?
The reduction in downforce under this year's regulations, thought to be around 30 per cent, has exposed weaknesses in Piastri's smooth driving style, which relied on the characteristics of the 2025 car.
Was Piastri ordered to let Norris pass in Austin?
Yes. After Norris complained he was being held up, Piastri was told his teammate was on a different strategy and moved aside early in the race.