Oscar Piastri Optimistic About McLaren's Potential in Malaysia

Pulse Sports Team 02:49 - 03 October 2026

The Grand Prix weekend in Malaysia did not get off to the best start for McLaren, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris managing only 11th and 12th in the opening practice session. However, the pair made significant progress during the second hour of running at Sepang, with Piastri climbing to sixth and Norris breaking into the top three.

That leap forward gives Piastri confidence that McLaren have the potential to fight at the front during the decisive sessions in Malaysia. According to the Australian, the margins among the top four teams are razor-thin, and it is McLaren's turn to lead the way.

"I think it's very tight between the top four teams. Red Bull looked very strong throughout the day, Mercedes were strong at times as well, and Ferrari too, of course. Everyone has had their turn to be fast. "I think we are slightly behind them, but we made huge progress between the two sessions, so hopefully we can keep that upward curve going and see where we end up. We definitely looked much better in FP2 than in FP1. To be completely honest, we struggled quite a bit in the first session. "The second session was interesting because we were all expecting rain that never arrived, so tyre choices and overall run plans were a bit out of the ordinary. But we looked solid. I'm not quite sure where we stand on long-run pace just yet, but it was an interesting opening day," Piastri said.