Oscar Piastri reveals the definitive mindset that allowed McLaren to overtake Aston Martin

This season, the performance delivered by McLaren was so outstanding that it caught everyone by surprise. They shone as the second-fastest team on the grid after Red Bull, surpassing all expectations. Surprisingly, they even managed to overtake Aston Martin, a victory that was once considered nearly impossible.

Recently, Oscar Piastri has unfolded the mindset that propelled McLaren to exceed their expectations and outpace Aston Martin. It was a revelation that provided insights into the strategies used and the determination that fueled their remarkable success in the latter part of the season.

Oscar Piastri discloses McLaren’s mindset

Oscar Piastri disclosed that McLaren, holding on to the belief that they could bridge the gap with Aston Martin, clinched the fourth spot in the Constructors’ Championship, mainly for updating the MCL60.

Starting the season with a poor delivery of performance, McLaren almost gave up on their team effort in every race.

However, it was a game-changing moment for the team after significant packages were brought to the car in Austria and Singapore, as they paved their way as the next-best team apart from Red Bull. The team scored seven podiums in the last six races as Piastri clinched victory in the Qatar Sprint.

Following Lando Norris’s second position in the United States, McLaren surpassed Aston Martin, securing the fourth position. Piastri acknowledged that, given their challenging start of the year, the team initially had little hope of closing the gap on Aston Martin.

Piastri told the media “I don’t think it was ever a target necessarily to beat them.

“It was just to try and improve and whatever results we got is what we got. The [development] race has been what it’s been—it’s been enough to overtake Aston.”

McLaren’s constructors standing ahead of Las Vegas GP

McLaren is now at the fourth position in the constructors’ standings, surpassing Aston Martin. A success which will inevitably be remembered by the team.

F1 constructors’ standings

1. Red Bull RBPT — 782
2. Mercedes — 382
3. Ferrari — 362
4. McLaren-Mercedes — 282
5. Aston Martin-Mercedes — 261
6. Alpine-Renault — 108
7. Williams-Mercedes — 28
8. AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT — 21
9. Alfa Romeo-Ferrari — 16
10. Haas Ferrari — 12

2023 F1 drivers’ standings

1. Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT – 524*
2. Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT – 258
3. Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes – 226
4. Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes – 198
5. Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes – 195
6. Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari – 192
7. Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari – 170
8. George Russell (63), Mercedes – 156
9. Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes – 87
10. Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes – 63
11. Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault – 62
12. Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault – 46
13. Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes – 27
14. Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT – 13
15. Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari – 10
16. Nico Hülkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari – 9
17. Daniel Ricciardo (3), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT – 6
18. Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari – 6
19. Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari – 3
20. Liam Lawson (40), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT – 2
21. Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes – 1
22. Nyck De Vries (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT – 0

What are your opinions on the development induced by McLaren later in this season? Tell us in the comment section below.