Oscar Piastri fires early 2026 title warning after late McLaren collapse

Oscar Piastri has warned his F1 title rivals that he is now aware of his weaknesses after his late collapse in the 2025 championship fight.

After the Dutch GP last August, Piastri held a 34-point lead over team-mate Lando Norris and a 104-point lead over Max Verstappen, but from the Azerbaijan GP onwards, his form collapsed.

He crashed out of the Sprints in the United States and Brazil, and recorded three fifth places in a row just as Norris and Verstappen peaked to pass him in the standings, although Piastri did rally in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. 

Piastri's mental toughness had been regarded as one of his strengths before the collapse, with the Australian now believing he has a better view of his weaknesses as he seeks to wrest the title from Norris in 2026.

"I'm just trying to get a better feel for what the car is like, it is such a big departure from what we've had in the last few years and in my time in F1," Piastri explained.

"There are a lot of things to understand, the new engines, but also the philosophy of the caris completely different with less downforce. 

"It is about getting used to that and how different things feel and trying to get a good read on that and, as quickly as possible, find a good direction to make the car quicker and feel nicer.

"I am excited. I've had a good first three years in F1, but this is my first regulation reset, so it is going to be interesting to see where we come out as a team. 

"I feel like last year I really proved to myself the things that I'm capable of, and definitely still the things I need to improve and work on as well. But I feel like I really took a good step forward, and you know, those lessons I can take forward into whatever rules we get."