Oscar Piastri has said there is \u201cnothing magical\u201d about where Mercedes has found its advantage in 2026, simply in grip and downforce levels.<\/p>\n
The McLaren driver converted his first racing laps of the season into a podium at Suzuka last weekend, but having led the first half of the race, Kimi Antonelli gained track position under the Safety Car and was subsequently able to open up a 15-second gap come the chequered flag.<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri: Mercedes\u2019 edge down to grip and downforce<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust.<\/p>\n The Australian had an excellent launch at the start of the race, propelling him past both Mercedes drivers into Turn 1 and, with clean air, was able to hold onto the race lead until a well-timed Safety Car from Antonelli\u2019s perspective allowed the young Italian to regain track position, and ultimately hold onto the win.<\/p>\n Piastri<\/a> mentioned McLaren\u2019s competitiveness in that first stint and believed, had he held onto the lead, he may have been able to hold onto victory himself last time out.<\/p>\n With Mercedes leading the field in all three rounds this season, though, the teams are set to use this April interlude to work on bringing new parts to their cars for the next stint of the campaign.<\/p>\n When asked if he could pinpoint where McLaren<\/a> has been losing out to Mercedes, Piastri explained that, with the benefit of examining data, he concluded that beyond Mercedes\u2019 better understanding of its own power unit and holding better downforce, there is no one key area where the W17 clearly stands out compared to the rest.<\/p>\n \u201cI think just grip,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing magical about it. They just have probably more downforce.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they\u2019re using the power unit probably a bit better than us at the moment, and it\u2019s as simple as that, really, there\u2019s no magic.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more helpful tool is definitely looking at the data, and we\u2019re losing a bit everywhere.<\/p>\n More on the 2026 regulations after the first rounds of the season<\/p>\n Max Verstappen\u2019s inspired solution to force F1 2026 rule changes<\/a><\/p>\n F1 cannot ignore warning signs after Oliver Bearman crash exposes 2026 flaws<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not really one area where we\u2019re weak or one area that we\u2019re strong in, it\u2019s just a bit across the board, so I think just finding more downforce is our main opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferrari had been able to dice with the Mercedes duo in the opening rounds of the season, with Piastri having been sat on the sidelines for two different reasons in Melbourne and Shanghai.<\/p>\n With those battles for the lead before George Russell and Kimi Antonelli could break clear, the McLaren driver wondered if the Scuderia\u2019s cornering capabilities is even greater than Mercedes\u2019.<\/p>\n Given that, he sees opportunities for McLaren to take inspiration from elsewhere, too.<\/p>\n \u201cFerrari is interesting as well, because I would say it almost looks like they\u2019re better in the corners, but maybe a bit worse power unit, or drag,\u201d he reasoned.<\/p>\n \u201cChina was quite interesting, and I think the way they\u2019ve been able to battle with Mercedes is also quite interesting, because it\u2019s not just pure qualifying pace [where] I think Mercedes have got a clear advantage over everybody, that the way that Ferrari are able to battle with them and contend with them at the start of races especially, is quite interesting to see.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I think there\u2019s inspiration in more than just one place.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n