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With rain on the radar and a championship on the line, Oscar Piastri arrived at Spa this week not just defending his points lead, but defending a choice. One that's become quietly decisive in how McLaren's title fight is shaping.
McLaren introduced an alternative front suspension layout in Canada. They revised upright mounting points that altered steering, primarily to address Lando Norris' early-season discomfort with front-end precision. While Norris took to it, Piastri didn't. And across three race weekends since, one has two wins. The other has none. But Piastri defended his decision (via It.Motorsport):
"It's not an update. It's just a different component. I tested it on the simulator. We've more updates coming. I want to have the clearest possible picture of the situation. It's a minor change."
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And yet, while Oscar Piastri has called it 'minor', the impact of that decision is anything but. In the two races that followed the change, Lando Norris has won both at Spielberg and Silverstone.
To the Australian, this isn't a performance upgrade in the traditional sense. It's a feel component that improves confidence on turn-in, bite under trail braking, and front-axle communication.
"There're some things that make it worse. So, if it were simply a performance benefit, I'd add it without question, but that's not the case," he added.
Team Principal Andrea Stella and the McLaren technical group now face the added headache of producing and managing two distinct car specs. In a title run this tight, unifying car setups would streamline logistics, simplify data correlation, and free up time in the factory. But Piastri has stood firm, and McLaren has respected that.
What started as a tweak to help balance the team's internal performance is now visibly coinciding with a swing in Norris' favour. The Brit has cut Piastri's championship lead to just eight points. From a double-digit gap to just 8 points.
Oscar Piastri heads into the unknown at SPA with rain looming
Oscar Piastri has never won at Spa Francorchamps. The 4-mile rollercoaster through the Ardennes has not been kind to McLaren either, as they haven't won here since 2012. But he podiumed here last year, and if there's one circuit that can flip a title race on its head in a single lap, it's this one.
This Belgian Grand Prix weekend, the Sprint format returns, offering more points, more jeopardy, and less time to dial in setups. Then there's the weather. Forecasts suggest a 60% chance of rain, not just across the weekend, but possibly during the GP itself.
Piastri, for all his dry-weather precision, hasn't looked as confident in mixed conditions. His worst result this season came in a soaked Melbourne (P9). At Silverstone, he salvaged a runner-up spot behind Norris. Pirelli has also brought a non-consecutive range for the first time since 2022: the C1 hard (new for 2025), the standard C3 medium, and the C4 soft.
Still, there's confidence at McLaren. The Silverstone 1-2 proved their all-around strength, both drivers beating Max Verstappen outright despite not starting on pole. Even if the tire variables and Spa's climate bring chaos, the papaya cars have shown adaptability and outright pace that no one else has matched all year.
