Oscar Piastri has revealed why he believes Mercedes can be beaten despite its dominant start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
McLaren and Piastri saw a much-needed reversal of fortune in Suzuka, qualifying in third, and taking the lead at the start of the race away from Kimi Antonelli at lights out.
The MCL40 was able to hold the lead for the opening stint of the race, and looked to be in strong contention for victory until an ill-timed Safety Car ruined his chances.
But Piastri took solace from coming home in second place, hopeful that the dominant Silver Arrows could be beaten in 2026.
Responding to a question from media, including Motorsport Week, on whether Mercedes was beatable, the Australian replied: “Yes. I think we knew from last year, or we know from last year, that even when you have the best car you still need to operate it at an incredibly high level. And I think, on our side, we did a really good job of that.
“But I think it’s interesting to see when someone else has the fastest car that it’s not that straightforward. And yeah, I think the fact that I could keep George behind for so long was really encouraging.
Oscar Piastri “under no illusion” of challenges ahead
Despite turning around a terrible opening two races of which he did not start either, Piastri is cautious of becoming optimistic, aware of the challenges facing McLaren.
“But we’re under no illusion. We did everything right this weekend and we still got beaten by 15 seconds, so we’ve got a pretty big gap to fill. I’m confident that we can get there, but yes, we’ve still got some work to do.”
Rueful of the Safety Car deployment, Piastri said: “I would have loved to have seen how it would have panned out.
“I think I need to look back and see whether Kimi was quicker than George or similar pace. I think if he was the same pace as George then it would have been a pretty stressful afternoon because I probably would have had both of them right on my gearbox.
“But yeah, I mean, I think once Kimi had clean air, clearly, he was a lot faster than me. So, I’m not sure we would have won the race, but I certainly would have loved to have found out.”
Piastri’s confidence in McLaren gives hope that a truly terrible beginning of the season is now behind both team and driver. The much vaunted upgrade package due in Miami will be watched with great interest.
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