McLaren driver Oscar Piastri says his best moments of the F1 2025 season “really proved to myself the things that I’m capable of” in Formula 1.
It comes after Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle warned that Piastri will “come back with a vengeance” in F1 2026 after a “painful” end to last year.
Martin Brundle: Oscar Piastri will ‘come back with a vengeance’ in F1 2026
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Despite being in just his third season of F1, Piastri impressed in his first experience of an F1 title fight last season.
The Melbourne-born driver equalled teammate Lando Norris’s tally of seven race wins across the season with Piastri holding a 34-point lead in the championship at one stage.
However, a patchy end to the year saw Piastri slip to third in the final standings as Norris secured his first world championship and the first for a McLaren driver since 2008.
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Formula 1’s regulations have been overhauled for 2026 with the sport introducing 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics.
The McLaren MCL40 made its on-track debut earlier this week in a collective shakedown in Barcelona, with Norris and Piastri completing 291 laps between them, as per verified, unofficial figures.
Piastri is entering the new season with confidence having offered a good indication of his capabilities in 2025.
He told Formula 1: “I’m excited.
“I’ve had a good first three years in F1 and it’s my first regulation reset, so it’s going to be interesting to see where we come out as a team.
“But I feel like last year I really proved to myself the things that I’m capable of.
“Definitely still there are things I need to improve and work on as well, but I feel like I really took a good step forward.
“Those lessons I can take forward into whatever rules we get, so I’m excited.”
Piastri’s comments come after Brundle highlighted the Australian as one to watch in F1 2026, arguing that the disappointment of last season will spur him on.
Brundle told Sky F1: “I think he’ll come back with a vengeance, to be honest.
“It was partly painful, partly brilliant for him, last year. He learned a lot.
“I think that it’s openly accepted that on the really low-grip circuits, he’s not getting the best out of the car and out of the tyre, so he knows he’s got to fix that.
“But some of the victories he’s had were so dominant, so impressive.
“I think he’ll take a lot from that. I’m sure it was painful in the end for him and I think that will be a driver [for him in 2026].
“We’ve observed him. He’s an incredibly bright lad and he’s clearly competitive. He’s a worker.
“I think he’ll come back having made a big step forward.”
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