Oscar Piastri says his second-place finish in Japan feels like a victory for McLaren after a troubled start to the Formula 1 season.
OSCAR Piastri declared his second-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix felt “as good as a win” for McLaren, providing a crucial morale boost after a disastrous start to the season for the team.
The Australian driver, competing in his first grand prix of 2026 after crashing on the way to the grid in Melbourne and missing China with a technical issue, finished behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli at Suzuka.
Piastri led the race from George Russell in the other Mercedes for the first half before a safety car intervention allowed Antonelli to jump into a lead he would not relinquish.
Reflecting on a weekend he described as “probably one of my best in F1”, Piastri said the team executed their strategy perfectly even if victory ultimately eluded them.
“I think we just nailed everything, and unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough for the win, but at the moment a result like today is as good as a win for us,” he stated.
The 24-year-old admitted he would have loved to see how his battle with the Mercedes cars would have unfolded without the safety car, having already made his pit stop when it was deployed.
His world champion teammate Lando Norris, who also missed the Chinese Grand Prix and had limited practice running in Japan, fought through to fifth place, passing Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton late in the race.
Norris described the day as “a strong day for the team”, adding that the combined result was a sign of the hard work being done back at the McLaren factory.
“Second and fifth is a good result and a sign we’re heading in the right direction,” the British driver concluded.