McLaren’s decision to have Oscar Piastri miss the Monday morning first practice and wait until Saturday to see the new floor built an uphill battle that carried through the rest of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
Priority shuffle leaves Piastri on the back foot
The Aussie rookie was forced into a support role on day one, ceding his car to debutant Leonardo Fornaroli while Lando Norris received the upgraded floor during the second practice.
During the second session, McLaren used the older specification on Piastri, allowing Norris to gather data on the new aerodynamics. That sacrifice meant Piastri’s first real lap with the upgrade came only in the final Saturday practice.
Qualifying struggle reflects missing track time
Piastri qualified fifth, then moved up to third after penalties for Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, but he kept hearing the kata of missing early practice: “Missing FP1 definitely had a bit more of an impact than I thought it would, because the track conditions have been pretty different to what we’ve been used to,” he said after the session.
He also complained that he did not get the second lap in Q3 he felt he “needed more than most weekends.”
Team chief stresses the free‑flow advantage
Andrea Stella maintained that the real detriment was the lost practice time, not the delay in installing the new floor. “The new parts, especially the floor, add downforce without changing the aerodynamics, so I don’t think this is a major factor,” he told Motorsport.com.
Stella added that the new component gave the car a clean boost in downforce, leaving the balance largely unchanged. “Oscar was paying a price for missing FP1,” he added, emphasizing that the priority of gaining track feel on the tricky Hungaroring is paramount.
Future priority scheme for upgrades
McLaren will reportedly alternate which driver gets first access to updates. “Normally, in terms of priority for our drivers, we alternate,” Stella noted, citing the previous event where Norris missed FP1 and Piastri covered the slot.
When new parts are introduced, the team typically does not give one driver priority over the other; the order is randomized, he said.
Race day fraught with challenges
In a track that saw gusty winds, unlikely grip levels and resurfaced tarmac, Piastri’s delayed exposure to the upgraded floor and the Monday practice absence left him with limited data. Despite his received upgrades, he failed to make a full recovery from the back‑seat start, ending the weekend in fifth overall.
With the Hungarian race proving so demanding, McLaren will need to decide whether continuing the alternating pattern is worth it or whether giving Piastri consistent access to updates could strengthen his pace for the second half of the season.
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