Damon Hill Urges Piastri To Put Himself First at McLaren in 2026

Overview

• Speaking on the Drive To Wynn podcast, Damon Hill advised Oscar Piastri to adopt a more selfish approach next season to protect his title hopes.
• Hill highlighted McLaren’s Monza call that instructed Piastri to hand back position to Lando Norris after a slow Norris pit stop as a pivotal sacrifice.
• He described Qatar as Piastri’s lowest point, with multiple reports blaming McLaren’s choice to keep both cars out under an early Safety Car, while one outlet separately reported a disqualification there for plank wear.
• Piastri led by 34 points in August but ended the year third in the standings behind champion Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
• Max Verstappen added fresh criticism, saying yielding, as at Monza, lets a team control a driver, while McLaren has signaled it intends to keep its equal-opportunity ‘papaya rules’ in 2026.