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Oscar Piastri Credits Old Guards at McLaren for Swift Turn Around in Team’s Fortunes

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Oscar Piastri Credits Old Guards at McLaren for Swift Turn Around in Team’s Fortunes

From being one of the slowest teams at the start of 2023 to being arguably the fastest, McLaren has come a long way. Oscar Piastri looks back on the progress made by the Woking-based outfit and hails the people who made this remarkable turnaround possible.

Piastri hailed CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella, in his interview with Sky Sports. He then talks about the personnel changes at McLaren, and how despite those being significant, the majority of the credit goes to the people who worked on the 2023 car.

“A lot of the performance and turnaround began with exactly the same people that built the car at the start of last year… We managed to get the best out of everybody.”, the Aussie said.

Piastri joined McLaren in 2023 at a time when many were doubting the team’s progress. But he and Lando Norris believed in the British team, and this season, both have emerged as race winners.

McLaren started 2024 as the third-fastest behind Red Bull and Ferrari. But similar to 2023, they made progress with upgrades, and are the fastest team on the grid currently. Plus, their development boost has also put them in a good position to dethrone Red Bull in the Championship.

McLaren to break Red Bull’s dominance?

Red Bull is now just 42 points ahead of McLaren in the standings, and theoretically, the Woking-based stable can overtake Red Bull in Zandvoort when the summer break ends. Of course for that, both Red Bull cars have to end the race with zero points in addition to McLaren scoring a 1-2.

Red Bull won both the 2022 and 2023 constructors’ titles; both comfortably but their dominance looks to be under threat. With 10 races to go, McLaren is the favorite to win the constructors’ title.

Unless the Milton-Keynes outfit makes major strides with upgrades in these remaining Grands Prix, McLaren could emerge victorious come the end of the season.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen too, will be looking to make it four World Championships in a row, provided he has a better car. So far, he hasn’t won in the last four races, a dismal record for a driver who won 19 out of 22 races in 2023.

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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