Oscar Piastri has explained why he is yet to use the new front suspension on McLaren’s Formula 1 car, indicating that it is “different” and just a case of personal preference.
The Australian enters this weekend’s British Grand Prix 15 points ahead of team-mate Lando Norris at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, his lead being cut after the Brit’s win at Austria last week.
Norris appears to have gained a significant amount of confidence from the new suspension, which features thicker cross-sections of the wheel mounting on his wishbones.
This has given him a newfound sense of feedback from the car, something he said was lacking in his MCL39 compared to that of last year’s challenger, which he felt more comfortable driving.
For Piastri, there has been no sense of similar issues, which is why he confirmed to media including Motorsport Week that he is happy to continue with the original version.
“I’ve not used it ever yet,” he said of the new suspension. “I think the thing is, for me, it’s not an upgrade. It’s just something that is different.
“It makes some things potentially a bit better. It makes some things a bit worse. If it was just all benefits, I would be putting it on with no questions asked.
“But for me, I’ve not really struggled with that kind of particular feeling.
“The year’s been going pretty well, so I’m more keen to just keep the car consistent and worry about how we get the most out of the set-up and the other upgrades we actually have than this change to the suspension.”
Piastri: Silverstone ‘one of my favourite tracks’
Despite not having won a competitive race at Silverstone since his Formula 4 and Formula Renault days, Piastri, having lived in the UK for a sizeable chunk of his racing career, counts the circuit as one of his favourites.
He said that he hopes to utilise the fond memories he has already made there and channel them into a race win this weekend.
“I think for me, Silverstone is easily one of my favourite tracks of the year,” he said.
“I always say Spa is my favourite, but here is probably second or third. And yeah, it’s a track I’ve got a lot of memories at.
“I’ve raced here, it’s probably the circuit I’ve raced on the most, I would say, in my whole career.
“Admittedly, in F4 it was about half of the track, or no, it was the national circuit, so it was about four corners. So I know four corners really well, the other 15 I have taken a bit more.
“But no, it’s a track I’ve always had good memories at. I’ve had good success here in the past, and it’s just as a track to enjoy driving on, and it’s one of the best there is.
“So yeah, it’s always nice coming back here.”
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