Oscar Piastri feels McLaren over early Formula 1 season 'nightmare'

Oscar Piastri is confident that McLaren have vanquished the "nightmare" issue that haunted them at the commencement of the current Formula 1 campaign.

The team endured a dismal start to the season, failing to secure any points in the initial two races at Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

However, McLaren's fortunes shifted after a substantial upgrade package was introduced in Austria, yielding two podium finishes in four subsequent races leading up to the mid-season hiatus.

Piastri further bolstered this resurgence with a commendable second-place finish in the Belgian Grand Prix Sprint.

When queried about the likelihood of the Woking-based squad sustaining their podium-contending performances throughout the remainder of the season, the Australian rookie asserted to the media, "I believe so. Silverstone and Hungary presented markedly distinct circuits and conditions. These track temperatures were the stuff of our nightmares at the commencement of the year."

This dilemma has been a consistent attribute of the MCL60 since the season's outset, with the team encountering the greatest challenges at circuits characterized by elevated temperatures and substantial tyre wear.

Consequently, the team often favours the Hard tyre over the Softs, as evidenced by their decision to equip Lando Norris with the former during the concluding stages of the British GP, thereby clinching their inaugural podium of the season.

Elaborating on this strategy, Mario Isola, Pirelli's head of motorsport, elucidated, "McLaren generally opts for more robust compounds due to their awareness of their car's relatively heightened impact on tyre wear.

"Consequently, they manage degradation more effectively with harder compounds, as they seldom encounter difficulties with tyre warm-up."

Formula 1 is currently in the midst of a summer hiatus and is poised to resume with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 28 at Circuit Zandvoort.