OSCAR PIASTRI BREAKS SILENCE ON "STRESSFUL" BATTLE WITH VERSTAPPEN AND NORRIS
Oscar Piastri reflects on leading the 2025 F1 title race for 15 rounds and reveals the "streamlined" McLaren rules for 2026.
Oscar Piastri didn’t leave Abu Dhabi as a Formula 1 world champion, but he’s still looking at 2025 with a sense of optimism.
For most of the season, Piastri led the drivers’ championship. He looked set for glory until a string of mistakes tripped him up—right when Lando Norris hit his stride. It stung, sure, but let’s not forget: this was only Piastri’s third season in F1. He’s already got nine Grand Prix wins, and he’s still learning compared to some of the veterans.
Everyone expects Piastri to snag a title at some point in his career. 2025 just wasn’t his year. Even so, he managed to soak up the experience and actually enjoy the fight.
He talked about it on The Fast and The Curious podcast. They asked if he enjoyed the 2025 season, even with all the pressure from battling Norris and Verstappen for the title.
“Yeah, I did,” he said. “Winning is usually more fun than losing, obviously, but the whole experience was pretty great.”
Piastri spent 15 weekends at the top of the standings during that marathon 24-race season. He didn’t get the championship, but he still found moments to savour.
There was pressure, of course. “Fighting for a championship comes with a lot of stress,” he said. “But I remember walking into the press conference in Abu Dhabi—just seeing the line of photographers and journalists waiting to get in. That was a cool moment. It felt like I was part of F1 history. There were definitely times I could enjoy it, even right as it was happening. That mattered a lot to me.”
As for McLaren, Piastri hasn’t been shy about what he thinks needs to change. Some people think that the way the team managed their two drivers left him a bit uncertain in the garage, which ultimately cost him.
He told F1.com that he’s already talked with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella over the winter break about what to fix.
“As soon as the season ended, we all knew there were things we could do better,” he said. “Yeah, we had a great year, but we didn’t nail everything. It was important for all of us to be clear about what we want to change going forward. We’ve had some good talks about how to make that happen and what it’ll actually look like.”
SERGIO PEREZ BREAKS SILENCE ON CADILLAC’S FIRST FOUR RACES OF 2026 F1 SEASON
Discover why Sergio Perez is confident in Cadillac’s 2026 path despite urgent needs for better pace and reliability fixes.
Sergio Perez didn’t waste time sharing his thoughts on Cadillac after the first four races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Cadillac shows up in 2026 as F1’s newest team, but honestly, not a lot of people expected fireworks right away. With veterans like Valtteri Bottas and Perez behind the wheel, the team’s start has been a mix, some moments full of promise, others derailed by reliability issues.
Still, Cadillac isn’t just stuck at the back. Lately, they’ve been right there fighting with Aston Martin and even managed to split them in Miami, which turned a few heads.
Perez knows the team is at risk of falling behind in this crazy-fast development race, though. “We still have work to do, but I’m confident we’re on the right path,” he told reporters, including Motorsport Week.
He added, “Sometimes, once tyre degradation sets in, we can hang with the midfield, but they always seem to find another gear. There’s a long way to go this season, but we’re in a rush to find more pace. We know Aston will get stronger, and we don’t want to be left behind.”
Racing Aston Martin has actually brought Perez some enjoyment. He especially likes battling Fernando Alonso, calling those fights fair and satisfying. Still, he pointed out a weak spot: “We’re having fun with them. Racing Fernando is always great because he’s so fair. But we struggled with tyre degradation; we burnt through them too quickly. We picked the hard compound, but honestly, looking back, I should’ve gone with the soft.”
He said there’s plenty to analyse, and really, the key is getting a better grip on their car as they look ahead to Canada. “We don’t have much time, but in the short term, we need to fix the degradation. We have some ideas, but putting them together is our biggest challenge in the next few weeks.”
Cadillac may be the new kid on the block and still finding its feet, but it’s already starting to make an impact. The road out of the lower ranks won’t be easy, but they’re moving in the right direction.
HOW KIMI ANTONELLI’S THREE-RACE WIN STREAK IS REDEFINING THE MERCEDES TEAM HIERARCHY
With a 43-second gap in Miami, Antonelli proves he’s ready to lead the World Championship. Can Russell bounce back in Canada?
David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 driver, recently pointed out that Kimi Antonelli might be on track to overtake George Russell as Mercedes’ team leader.
Antonelli has been on an impressive run, clinching victories in the last three races and pulling ahead by 20 points over his main competitor and teammate, Russell.
At the Miami race, the young Italian once again outperformed his more seasoned teammate, with Russell managing only fourth place, trailing by 43 seconds.
Coulthard acknowledged Antonelli’s rapid rise in 2026, which is just his second season in F1. He highlighted Antonelli’s strengths and suggested that the Italian is, in many ways, now leading the Mercedes team.
“He’s come of age,” Coulthard said during the Up To Speed podcast.
Despite being relatively new, Antonelli has shown resilience, dealing not only with the pressure from a driver like Lando ready to strike but also with technical glitches like inconsistent paddle shifts. Coulthard mentioned how Antonelli kept his cool even when his engineer, Bono, was trying to help troubleshoot the issue in a tense moment.
“I think he’s earned the right to lead the World Championship,” Coulthard added, noting that this situation probably feels uncomfortable for George. Still, the expectations now lean heavily toward Antonelli leading the team, especially based on recent results.
Coulthard also pointed out that Russell has the experience and skill to reclaim his position as the team’s lead driver, but emphasised that only one can come out on top; someone must finish first and the other second.
The rivalry between them might start opening doors for other teams. Coulthard noted that improvements from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull were already noticeable, especially in Miami.
“Winning in the best car isn’t always straightforward. Many have tried and struggled,” he said.
For Russell, who is feeling the weight of this momentum shift, the upcoming race in Canada will be crucial if he wants to close the gap and halt Antonelli’s winning streak.
