McLaren has made monumental strides in terms of developing their 2023 challenger. As a result, the Woking-based team has leapfrogged their rivals to become a front-running team, hot on the heels of Red Bull. That being said, at the 2023 US Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri has predicted this run of stellar form to come to an end, as per Autosport.com.
The Papaya team has pulled a huge chunk of performance in their developmental efforts with the MCL60 this year. As a result, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been placed into machinery that is almost at par with the Bulls. But there is still some way to go. However, their battle with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes for Constructors’ glory in the latter part of the season is a precursor to the heights they can reach in 2023.
Oscar Piastri’s rookie season is 🔥
– consistent points
– 2 podiums
– sprint pole position
– sprint race win pic.twitter.com/qWkMahAneO— WTF1 (@wtf1official) October 8, 2023
McLaren’s upturn in pace isn’t a bogey either. During the 2023 Qatar GP Sprint Race, the young Australian, Piastri secured his first F1 victory in the sprint. And it all boiled down to his supreme racing skills with an MCL60 which was undoubtedly pacier than the all conquering RB19 of Max Verstappen, on the day.
Oscar Piastri expects a brutal reality check for McLaren at Austin
When talking about the team’s expectations going into the weekend, Piastri was quick to curtail them. He said, as per Autosport, “We’ll see how competitive we can be. I don’t think it’ll be quite as good as the last couple of weekends. But hopefully we’re still in the mix.”
Piastri isn’t just downplaying the expectations here. Despite being a rookie, Piastri did get to test the Alpine at the Circuit of the Americas last year. Hence, he is thorough with the intricacies of the track. According to the Aussie, the track’s bumpy surface and low-speed profile are going to be a detriment to the MCL60’s inherent characteristics.
📊 Expected Race-Pace from the simulator [not including Austin GP upgrades]
Red Bull
McLaren
Ferrari
Mercedes
Alpha Tauri
Alfa Romeo
Alpine
Haas
Aston Martin
Williams[@AlbertFabrega] pic.twitter.com/Xgy91EANIC
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) October 18, 2023
Adding to his teammate’s pessimism, Norris concurred with Piastri’s assessment of McLaren’s Achilles heel. He explained, “Just a lot more slow speed corners, which is not our strength. I think it’s tough when you look at it.”
Piastri is wary of Mercedes’ resurgence
While McLaren aims to dethrone Red Bull, the iconic British team has a target on their backs, too. Mercedes has brought updates to the W14 at Austin, and it hasn’t passed Piastri’s notice. He commented, “I’ve seen Mercedes have got some upgrades. So we’ll see what their performance is like.”
Coming second or third in the Constructors’ isn’t going to suffice for McLaren, though. The team has been adamant about their championship hopes in the near future, and 2024 seems like the perfect stepping stone for that milestone.
With only five races to go, McLaren has already set their sights on next year. With a bespoke Wind Tunnel now at their disposal, the team look bullish about closing the gap to Red Bull while hoping to leave Ferrari and Mercedes in the dust, come 2024.
