Oscar Piastri reveals 'different behaviour' at dawn of new F1 era

Oscar Piastri has highlighted that the "behaviour" of the new generation of F1 cars is "quite different" to the ground-effects era that came before it.

F1 overhauled both its power unit and chassis regulations at the end of last season.

Whilst the McLaren driver has pointed out how the former's change is something for the F1 drivers to get their "heads around", he has also addressed the different characteristics of the cars themselves.

The new aerodynamic rules have resulted in smaller, lighter cars. This should naturally aid overtaking, with DRS being discontinued in favour of an overtake mode button.

In addition to that new feature, which is tied to the power unit side of the regulations, F1 has also introduced active aerodynamics, which will see the front and rear wings adopt different configurations between straights and corners.

Whilst the contemporary ground effect cars were only used for four seasons, the outgoing power units were largely unchanged since their introduction in 2014, something that has resulted in that side of the rules dominating headlines.

To Piastri, the new engines — and the increased level of energy management required, with the split between traditional combustion and electrical power now 50/50 — will be a significant hurdle for the drivers to overcome.

"I think it's going to be a big challenge for all of us," the nine-time grand prix winner said at the launch of his 2026 car, the MCL40.

"Obviously, the cars are changing themselves, but the power units, especially. We've had the same engines for the last 10 years or so, and that's going to be a pretty big difference to get our heads around, which is obviously a big part of why we've got so much testing this year."

Nonetheless, the Australian does not believe the chassis changes should be overlooked.

"And then the cars themselves, their behaviour is quite different to what we've had the last few years," the 24-year-old explained.

"So just getting used to a lot of different things is going to be exciting and a point of difference, or a place where you can make a difference. So it's going to be pretty exciting, that's for sure."