Oscar Piastri has delivered a brutal verdict on the 2026 Formula 1 cars, as the FIA continues work with teams to modify the regulations for the Miami Grand Prix.
Piastri and McLaren have endured a difficult start to the 2026 season, the new MCL40 encountering numerous issues in the opening three races.
The Australian suffered two consecutive DNS’s in Australia and China, both caused by issues with the new Mercedes power unit.
Bouncing back in Japan, he secured second place behind winner Kimi Antonelli to kickstart his season, his first full of a race in 2026, and his understanding of car performance.
Delivering an honest verdict of his race in Japan, Piastri praised the challenge, but called out an issue he identified while battling other drivers.
“Overall, these cars are very different to anything I have driven before, but we’ve known this would be the case since the new regulations were shared,” Piastri said to McLaren’s official website.
“It being so different is a new challenge for us as drivers, which isn’t a bad thing.
“One of the big differences with these cars is that they’re lighter and much shorter and narrower than 2025. This means they can be a bit more agile and can feel nicer in the lower-speed corners, but the challenges around dirty air still stand and neutralise some of those benefits, as following is still an issue.
Oscar Piastri labels new cars ‘unpredictable’
In a more brutal assessment, Piastri labelled the cars “unpredictable”, lamenting the problem that caused his retirement on the way to the grid in Australia.
“There is also a lot more to think about in the car as a driver. You also have to think more tactically around quite a few things, especially on the power management side,” he said.
“These cars are also more unpredictable. You’ll have seen we often gets spikes of power which makes these cars do unexpected things.
“This is just one area of quite a few that needs to be looked at and changed in the imminent future, highlighted further by a few different incidents across the season so far.
“I know we are working closely with the FIA, F1 and other teams to ensure these things are being looked at to ensure safe, but fun and exciting racing for everyone.”
Piastri’s return to form in Suzuka will concern Mercedes, but like many other drivers, he is craving changes to the regulations.
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