Oscar Piastri ‘missing that feeling’ in new admission over F1 2025 title ‘stress’

Oscar Piastri has admitted he is missing the additional pressure associated with being involved in a Formula 1 title battle amid McLaren’s decline in competitiveness in F1 2026.

This time 12 months ago, Piastri was still embroiled in a duel for the championship with McLaren teammate Lando Norris that would go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi, where, despite having led the standings for longer than any driver, he wound up 13 points short, with his late-season slump also seeing him drop behind Max Verstappen.

Oscar Piastri ‘missing stress’ of F1 title battle

The Australian has been unable to build upon his most productive campaign in the sport to have a second crack at the ultimate prize this time around, given McLaren’s slide down the pecking order since new technical rules were introduced.

Following back-to-back Constructors’ titles, the Woking-based squad currently lies in fourth place, a considerable 254 points adrift of recently-crowned champions Mercedes.

Piastri, who is winless in 2026 and on a 16-race run without a podium, has conceded there is “not quite the same stress” attached to this year compared to the previous one.

When asked whether not being in title contention has been a blow to him, Piastri responded: “Yes and no. I want to be in a championship fight every year if I can be, but also, it’s definitely a bit more relaxed this year.

“Obviously, we’re not wanting to be in this position, but there’s not quite the same stress.

“But that stress that you have in a championship fight is the feeling you want, because it means you’re fighting for something that is what your goal is. I am missing that feeling this year for sure.”

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Regardless, with McLaren aiming to bridge a 17-point gap to Red Bull ahead, Piastri has acknowledged that there is something to fight for over the remaining three rounds.

“Just keep learning and ultimately try and beat Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. That’s the big thing,” he added.

“It’s not going to be an easy task for sure, but I think it’s possible.

“I think the car took a step forward this weekend, so hopefully that keeps going.”

Despite Norris capitalising on McLaren’s latest upgrades to win in Brazil – his third victory of 2026 – Piastri conceded that the MCL40 is still not a predictable car to drive.

“It wasn’t that easy to drive, and it’s still not been easy to drive, even now,” he said. “It took us a while to understand exactly what needed to change, and then trying to actually change it is tough. But we’re making progress with it slowly.”

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