Oscar Piastri expresses surprise at 'fundamental overhaul' after McLaren regression

Oscar Piastri has conceded he did not anticipate a "fundamental overhaul" in how to drive an F1 car prior to the sweeping new regulations coming into force.

The revised rules set has also shaken up the F1 pecking order, with the Australian's McLaren team knocked from its perch over the opening rounds of the 2026 season.

Despite slipping back, the nine-time grand prix winner does not believe the situation the Woking-based squad finds itself in has been a "complete disaster" despite a difficult start to the campaign.

The 25-year-old suffered two consecutive Did Not Starts (DNS), at his home race and then in China, respectively, before finishing in second position at the third round, the Japanese Grand Prix.

Having fought against team-mate Lando Norris and, eventually, Max Verstappen, too, for the drivers' championship last year and lost, ahead of the weekend at Suzuka, Piastri was asked whether he felt frustration at not having been afforded the opportunity to battle for titles for multiple years under consistent regulations.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, the McLaren driver replied: "Not really frustration. We knew it was going to be a massive reset of everything."

"Maybe not quite as big as it has been... I don't think we thought it would be a pretty fundamental overhaul of what driving a race car looks like.

"But I think we knew that this was a possibility. We're still towards the front, certainly not a complete disaster."

The biggest thing

Piastri highlighted how the constructors' champions were learning more and more in the pursuit of closing the gap to Ferrari and Mercedes ahead, something that became evident later in the weekend, when he was able to hold off George Russell in the opening stages of the 53-lap race and may well have held on for victory without the safety car intervention.

"Are we where we want to be? No," he said. "But I think we're understanding all the time how we can improve across so many areas – [that is] the biggest thing.

"It's not like we have one problem that we need to fix, or anything like that. It's a little bit in a few different areas, and that adds up pretty quickly. So that's the biggest thing.

"But we went this year knowing that it would probably look pretty different. So yeah. Would I have loved to have stayed in last year's car at this point? Yes, probably, but it is what it is."