McLaren Wonders: Could Piastri Have Won the Japanese GP?

McLaren boss Andrea Stella didn’t arrive in Suzuka expecting a breakthrough, but by Sunday evening, he was left wondering just how close his team had come to pulling off something extraordinary.

Because for a fleeting, tantalizing phase of the Japanese Grand Prix, it wasn’t race winner Mercedes dictating terms – it was McLaren. Even Stella admits this came as a surprise.

After a bruising start to the 2026 season, McLaren finally put together a clean weekend. Both cars started, both cars finished – and one of them, driven by Oscar Piastri, looked capable of winning.

Stella stated, "We were in condition to start the race with two cars, which is the first time this year, and we were in condition to complete the race". This alone marked progress. However, what followed raised eyebrows inside the McLaren garage.

Stella added, "I think today we confirmed the progress that we saw yesterday in qualifying, progress that allowed Oscar to lead the race after a very good start". The team was surprised, especially at the end of the first stint, where they not only were able to keep Russell behind, but they were also opening the gap at the end of the first stint.

The decision to pit early and protect track position was aggressive, intentional, and, as it turned out, horribly timed. The Safety Car, triggered by a heavy crash elsewhere, handed a golden opportunity to Kimi Antonelli, who vaulted into the lead with a perfectly timed stop.

Despite a strong restart, Piastri found himself chasing rather than controlling, while Antonelli, now in clean air, simply drove away. The question lingered: without that intervention, could McLaren have held on? Stella wasn’t convinced the answer is simple.

Stella admitted, “We will never know whether, without the Safety Car, it would have been possible [to win] or not”. “I think it would have been possible against Russell, because we saw that Russell was struggling anyhow to overtake even Ferrari. I think today McLaren and Ferrari were on a similar pace”.

But Antonelli? That’s where the speculation fades into realism. “Antonelli, though, he had a faster pace than anybody else. So, I think Antonelli at some stage would have been in the competition for the victory. So, we will not know if Oscar could have won the race or not,” the McLaren chief added.

Lost in the strategic “what ifs” is the performance that made them possible in the first place. For Piastri, Suzuka was more than just a podium – it was a reintroduction. After missing out in the opening rounds, the Australian delivered under pressure, showcasing both racecraft and composure.

Stella continued, “I think there's a lot of positives for Oscar himself. He has been driving very well at the start of the season”. “It's a shame that he has not been in a condition to prove it. Today he had the chance and he did it”.

And perhaps that’s the real takeaway. McLaren may have been denied victory by circumstance, timing, or outright pace – but for the first time in 2026, they looked like a team capable of fighting for it. The surprise, suggests Stella, isn’t just how good they were, but how quickly they got there.

Stella pragmatically concluded, “Ultimately, it doesn't make a big difference. I think today we should just take the positives, which is what I said at the start”.

McLaren, after a difficult start to the season, finally showed a clean weekend, with both cars competing and one of them, driven by Oscar Piastri, demonstrating potential for victory. The team was surprised by its own progress, especially in the first stint, where they were able to keep Russell behind and increase the gap.

Despite the unfortunate strategy and the safety car intervention, Piastri's performance was highlighted, demonstrating his skills and composure. McLaren focuses on the positives and the progress demonstrated, with hopes for future victories.