Oscar Piastri delivered a strong performance in qualifying for the 2026 F1 Japanese GP, securing third place on the grid after a session that saw momentum swing between teams and drivers.
While Kimi Antonelli ultimately took pole position ahead of teammate George Russell, Piastri emerged as McLaren’s lead contender, capitalising on a clean execution through most of qualifying despite a challenging final lap.
Building momentum through the session
McLaren did not immediately look like a frontrunner in Q1, as Ferrari and Mercedes initially set the pace. However, the picture shifted as qualifying progressed, with Piastri finding more performance in Q2 and carrying that momentum into the top ten shootout.
Reflecting on his F1 Japanese GP qualifying, Piastri emphasised the importance of execution and preparation.
“I think it was pretty well executed. I think the final lap of Q3 was a bit of a mess, but apart from that, I think we built into things well,” he said to the media during the post-qualifying press conference.
Piastri continued, “I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted from the car after FP3 and I think we did a good job of achieving that, and then also how you have to drive. Yeah, you’ve got to do some interesting things, so I think just staying disciplined on that worked well and I’m happy to end up where we are.”
Piastri noted how unpredictable the session felt, with different teams appearing competitive at various stages.
“I think everyone seemed to chop and change a bit through qualifying. We didn’t look great in Q1 and then Q2 we came alive and managed to hold that pace. I thought the Ferraris were going to be on a par at one point, so it was all a bit of a mixed bag, but happy to end up third.”
Margins remain fine at the front
Despite securing a strong grid position, Piastri believes there was only limited time left to extract, even if his final lap in Q3 did not fully come together.
“Maybe a tiny bit, but it’s always impossible to know. I think especially with these cars, like Kimi said, it’s very easy to think you’re going faster and doing the right thing, and you end up going slower because the engine doesn’t like it. So, it’s a tricky balance, but I think it was pretty close to what we could have done.”
The new 2026 regulations, with their emphasis on energy management, have added complexity to qualifying laps, making it harder for drivers to judge whether they are extracting maximum performance.
Encouraging progress for McLaren
After a challenging start to the season, Piastri sees signs that McLaren is beginning to understand its package more clearly.
He said, “I mean, it’s nice to be closer, obviously. I think we’re learning more and more about the car and about the power unit every weekend.”
“I think this weekend in Suzuka, let’s say being slower in the Esses than Mercedes is not necessarily a bad thing, which is weird to say. But yeah, I think we were saved a little bit by that. So, I think we’ve been more competitive in general, but we’re under no illusion, we’ve still got a pretty big gap to fill.”
While the gap to Mercedes remains significant, McLaren’s improved performance offers encouragement heading into the race.
Adapting to new racing dynamics
Looking ahead to the F1 Japanese GP race, Piastri acknowledged that limited race mileage under the new regulations leaves some uncertainty.
“I mean, not necessarily, but you don’t know what you don’t know until you’re in the situation. So yeah, I’ve tried to learn as much as I can from watching the races and even through practice. There have been some interesting moments with cars at different speeds in different parts of the track.”
He pointed to unusual racing scenarios that have emerged under the new rules.
“I overtook someone into Degner 1 yesterday, which was different. But yeah, you’re learning all the time and I think just the level of awareness you need is very high. But I think ultimately pace is going to be the thing that decides your result, and the start as well. Well, maybe not the start if it’s these guys around you, but yeah, we’ll see what we can do.”
A costly final run
Like many drivers in Q3, Piastri struggled to improve on his final attempt. He admitted that pushing too hard ultimately worked against him.
“I think I just tried too hard, tried to push a bit much and the rear end said no a few times. But it is difficult to know because sometimes you feel like you do a better lap and, like Kimi said, you go faster through the corners and you run into some problems with deployment.”
The complexity of the current cars makes it difficult to consistently piece together a perfect lap.
“So, it’s not always that easy to understand why you make jumps in lap time and stuff like that. But yes, in my case, just trying too hard.”
Piastri well placed for the 2026 F1 Japanese GP
Despite the imperfections in Q3, Piastri’s third-place start puts him in a strong position heading into Sunday’s race. With McLaren showing improved pace and the field closely matched behind Mercedes, he will look to convert qualifying performance into a competitive race result.
