Oscar Piastri has said he will give his absolute best to secure a home Grand Prix victory in Australia, but he also warns that expecting McLaren to reproduce last year’s form would be optimistic.
Ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, the Australian driver reflected on McLaren’s trajectory after winning the Teams’ Championship in 2024. In 2025, he and Lando Norris lined up on the front row in qualifying, and Norris went on to win as tricky conditions on race day saw Piastri fall back.
Asked about McLaren’s chances of clinching a third straight Teams’ title in 2026, Piastri replied: “We’ll have to wait and see – the regulations are very different this year. It would be optimistic, even very optimistic, to expect us to reproduce the same form we had here 12 months ago. I think we’re towards the front, but testing suggests Mercedes and Ferrari have edged ahead a bit, and Red Bull remains strong as well.
“Things are changing rapidly as everyone develops their cars, so we’ll have to wait and see. Last year we arrived here with very high hopes for something special, and this year I believe we can still achieve a solid result, but to match that performance we’ll need to find a little more.”
Piastri, who first entered F1 in 2023, was also asked whether he expects to progress again in 2026. He noted that the seasonal reset in regulations makes this year different. “My off-seasons have taught me a lot, and I can transfer some of that experience, but the changes in driving style and the car’s characteristics mean we’re facing new challenges. I’m confident I can take another step forward using the same process I’ve followed in previous years, and we’ll see where that leads us.”
Winning the Australian Grand Prix would be especially meaningful for the 24-year-old, as no Australian has won the race since it joined the F1 calendar in 1985. “Every driver wants to win at home, and that includes me,” he said. “With the race starting the season, there’s a lot of unknowns, but I’d love to win here. If we have the pace, great; even if we don’t, I’ll push as hard as possible and we’ll see what our performance looks like.”
On why McLaren might trail some rivals in testing, Piastri cautioned that session times aren’t everything. “The key is race simulations, which aren’t perfect since they require a full fuel load. Some Ferrari simulations looked very strong, and Mercedes appeared to have a robust package in Barcelona after limited Bahrain racing. Their preparation seems solid, and although I don’t know if we’re behind, the feeling is we’re in the mix but not at the sharp end. If we can eke out a bit more, we can be contenders.”
