McLaren promises to ‘protect’ Oscar Piastri from busy Australian GP weekend

Piastri is amassing immense attention in Melbourne.

But if anything, even more carefully for Melbourne – there are many requests. But some we will accept; some we'll have to protect delivering the performance and we will not accept. Andrea Stella said: motorsport.com

Stella believes that they need to pay close attention to drivers’ schedules over the weekend. Moreover, the McLaren boss has admitted they will accept a few requests while allowing drivers their self-time. The team is focusing on an approach that will allow its drivers to perform better while also allowing them enough downtime to relax. 

Oscar Piastri’s take on the detrimental impacts of F1 cars on physical health

After his teammate, Lando Norris, recently expressed his concerns over the negative impacts of the current cars on a driver’s health, Oscar Piastri has also done the same. In recent years, due to the new regulations, F1 cars have gone through massive changes.

Many drivers have been going through health issues due to the same. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz recently went through an Appendectomy during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend.

It's not as bad as what it was when these regulations first came in. But it’s not quite as comfortable as what the old cars were. I think it is a point that is valid for us. At the end of the day, we're going to drive the car however is quickest. You’re never gonna give up lap time for having an achy body after the race. You need rules to stop that from us because we're so competitive that we're just going to get the ultimate lap time out of it no matter what it takes. Oscar Piastri said: SportsIllustrated

The stiff suspension setups on the current cars are optimized for maximum downforce, but during Grand Prix weekends, this frequently causes bouncing and discomfort for the drivers. The issues might seem minor at the time, but they can lead to long-term health issues.

F1 is very competitive, slight derail in the performance costs a lot to the drivers in terms of performance. Keeping in view everything that has been discussed, there is a need for better regulations to preserve the health of the drivers while maintaining the charm of the competition. 2026 will see the dawn of the next set of F1 regulations.