Despite not yet being in a position to fight for race victories, McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team delivered a good result at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix by maximising opportunities available through strategy and strong tyre management. A rapid-fire Austrian Grand Prix at the Spielberg circuit saw Oscar climb from P7 on the grid to P4 at the flag, while Lando battled all afternoon to come home P7.

While the ambition remains to compete for wins, today's race underlined that the current performance level requires the team to execute at the highest level operationally to achieve the best possible result. Mercedes remains the leading competitor, while Red Bull's latest upgrades helped move them further ahead, highlighting the impact development continues to have on the competitive order.

The focus now is on continuing to extract everything from the current package while introducing further upgrades in line with the MCL40's development pathway to close the remaining performance gap.

In the heat of the Austrian hills, Lando and Oscar swapped positions in the opening exchanges and then kept out of trouble for the first few laps, which had the crowd on their feet and the team in the garage on the edge of their seat. After this, the race settled down into a strategic chess match, with high degradation and a powerful undercut making the race something of a deep cut for those who enjoy the long game. McLaren Mastercard's simulated race pace on Friday had looked slightly better than the one-lap pace, so the team went into the race optimistic of making progress. While the early race was with Antonelli, it soon became apparent that the battle was with Ferrari, who arguably had better absolute performance, but also more rapid tyre degradation on the hot asphalt.

Oscar was able to go longer on his stints than either of the red cars, using the tyre delta to first pass Leclerc on track and then pull away from Hamilton when the latter took advantage of a VSC to add an extra stop.

Lando's race was a little more complicated. Having lost position to Oscar at the start, he was vulnerable to an undercut during the pit stops and lost position to Hadjar. He chased the Red Bull driver all the way to the line, eventually finishing 2.1s behind - but was able to catch and pass Leclerc in the process, to come home in the same position he ended the first lap.

Overall, good race pace today continues the positive momentum the team has experienced in recent races, and the result moves the team closer to Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, as we head to McLaren's home race at Silverstone.

Oscar Piastri: "I'm really happy with today's performance. It felt like a good race, and we were able to execute well and apply some things I've learned over the last few weeks. The pace was stronger than we expected, and to be able to successfully challenge and beat Ferrari was a definite positive for the team. I feel like we got the absolute most out of the car, and that's a good feeling.

"However, we still need to find more pace if we want to be up there challenging the top three consistently. We don't have a specific area of weakness; we just need more overall performance and grip to take that next step. We'll keep chipping away at it, and we'll focus on carrying this momentum into the next few races. I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Lando Norris: "Overall, today was still an okay result for the team, especially finishing ahead of one of the Ferraris. It was a difficult day for everyone out there though, with the extreme temperatures. We lost crucial track position on the opening lap and again during the pit stop, which was an important factor in the race today. Once you lose that ground, it's incredibly tough to make it back, so it was an unfortunate outcome for us, but the team stayed focused and put in a good shift to maximise what we could for the rest of the race.

"We didn't run any upgrades here like other teams, and the car is still behind the leaders in terms of performance, but that's something we know we need more time to improve. We will debrief everything as a team before heading to Silverstone, where I'm excited for the home crowd. We're making progress, and if we tidy up Lap 1 and pit sequencing, we'll give ourselves a better shot next time."

Andrea Stella: "Today was a positive step forward. We made clear progress from Qualifying thanks to the car working well with the tyres, keeping the rears alive in tough heat, and our strategy remaining patient without capping our speed. We have to be realistic about our current situation though; we are not in a position to fight for victories and podiums on pure pace at the moment. The race today demonstrated that, but it also highlighted our strengths.

"We were able to compete with and finish ahead of Ferrari by capitalising on excellent strategy and tyre management, and Oscar drove a fantastic race, which was a real positive to see. On the other hand, Lando had a difficult weekend, but we will work with him to understand where we lost the performance, just as we did with Oscar previously, following Barcelona.

"We still have a deficit of a few tenths compared to the top team and closing that gap is all about development and getting the most from what we have. Red Bull's benchmark shows that upgrades translate into results, and we'll bring small updates for the next round while preparing for changeable weather.

"Looking ahead to Silverstone, returning as champions will be special, but our focus is on the present. A podium would be a great result, but a victory will be difficult. We have a strong undertaking to our fans to get back to the front, and we are working tirelessly to deliver the performance that will allow us to celebrate victories with them again soon."