After a discouraging start to the season, McLaren had to make changes and they had to do it quickly. The changes to the car, of course, not the team or drivers. Because both drivers were putting in their best but the car wasn’t helping. But Austria is where the upgrades came in and it did wonders for the team. Lando Norris‘ pace shot up and he secured P4. But you might have wondered why Oscar Piastri couldn’t replicate the same. Turns out, it was because only Norris’ car got the upgrades and not his. But to play things down in the media, team CEO Zak Brown has praised Piastri for playing the team game.

Team Principal Andrea Stella announced in June that they would entirely redesign the MCL60 by the British GP. But the team brought some good upgrades a week earlier, for the Austrian GP. But, they could only apply it to one car. And as per Brown, it was done for Norris’ car because he is the more experienced driver. Apparently, Piastri seemed to be okay with the situation.

Even if Piastri objected, it’s not as if McLaren would’ve given in to his wants. It may seem that the young Aussie was meted out with second-class treatment relative to Norris. Regardless, In a recent interview ahead of the British GP, Brown did some damage control on the same, when he was asked about this situation. He did not hold back in praising the rookie driver for playing the team game. He said, “Oscar is a team player. We communicated with him early on that it was one upgrade at a time”.

This situation also sounds like the one that Michael Schumacher’s ex-teammate at Ferrari had to go through on a regular basis. Eddie Irvine, who raced for Ferrari from 1996 to 1999 was also in a similar situation. Because Schumacher was an enormous talent, his car got the upgrades before Irvine’s did.

Zak Brown Exposes Red Bull’s Healed Wounds as McLaren Comes Under the Scanner Following Lando Norris’ Heroics in Austria

Even though Piastri did not get a chance to test the upgrades in Austria, he hasn’t lost anything. His car has gotten it now in Silverstone and he’s pretty cool with it.

Oscar Piastri Finds the Upgrades to the MCL60 Very “Encouraging”

Piastri was having a jolly time at Alpine in the 2022 season, getting to learn everything about F1. But he left the team management stunned when he signed for McLaren for 2023. But everything turned on its head when McLaren slipped down the midfield. And the attempt that is being made to get back up is finally seeing the light of day for Piastri as he gets to test those upgrades in Silverstone.

In an interview after the practice session on Friday, Piastri was all praise for the upgraded MCL60. He said,  “It was nice and did pretty much what I expected from what I found in the simulator so that’s encouraging.” Finally, more encouraging news for the team as their rookie driver too looks satisfied with the upgrades.

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Both McLaren drivers now have the same upgraded car. A car that is probably ready to challenge for the podium places. Will Piastri too be able to match what his more experienced teammate is doing?

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