Piastri Praises 'Best Weekend in F1' After Strong Japan Finish

McLaren's Piastri shines in Japan, eyes better days ahead

Oscar Piastri hails 'encouraging' Japan GP performance, finishing second despite early lead and strategy gamble.

“As race weekends go, we couldn't have done any better than that...”

Oscar Piastri described his second-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix as “as good as a win” for McLaren, considering the team's struggles at the start of the season. He had crashed on the way to the grid in Melbourne and missed the China race due to a technical issue. Piastri led the early stages of the Japanese GP before Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli took advantage of a safety car to snatch the win.

Piastri praised his team's performance, saying they “nailed everything” and did a great job executing their strategy. He also highlighted his own strong drive, revealing it was one of his best weekends in F1. Teammate Lando Norris finished fifth, and Piastri believes the result shows they're heading in the right direction.

Oscar Piastri's season got off to a rocky start, crashing on the way to the grid in Melbourne and missing the Chinese GP due to a technical issue. Lando Norris also had a tough time, missing the Chinese GP with a separate problem.

🏆🏆🏆#McLarenF1 | #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/jwtuM6EjQs

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) March 29, 2026

Despite early struggles, Piastri's fortunes turned in Japan, where he said it was a “really encouraging” race for McLaren.

Lando Norris had limited driving time before the Japanese GP, missing the first half of all three practice sessions. Despite this, he put in a solid performance, overtaking Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton late on to claim fifth place.

“It was a strong day for the team,” Norris said, praising McLaren's efforts. With Oscar Piastri's second-place finish, it was a productive weekend for the team.

“I think the strategy was good, so I think we just nailed everything,” he said.

“Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough for the win, but I think at the moment a result like today is as good as a win for us.”

Oscar Piastri dominated the early stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, leading from Mercedes' George Russell for the first half of the race. However, his chances of victory were disrupted when Kimi Antonelli capitalized on a safety car period to take the lead. Piastri had already made his pit stop by the time the safety car was deployed, handing Antonelli a significant advantage.

Piastri expressed his disappointment, saying he “would have loved to have seen how it would have panned out” if he had been able to continue battling with the Mercedes drivers. Despite finishing second, Piastri was pleased with his performance and the team's strategy, describing it as “one of my best weekends in F1.”

P2 and P5 with our first MCL40 podium! 👊#McLarenF1 | #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/IM7ZbXXsYg

— McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) March 29, 2026

The Australian driver said he “would have loved to have seen how it would have panned out” if he had been able to continue his battle with the Mercedes from a leading position.

But he said overall the Japanese Grand Prix had been “probably one of my best weekends in F1.”

“As race weekends go, we couldn't have done any better than that,” he said.

“I'm very happy with the performance that I put in, very happy with the performance from the whole team.”