Oscar Piastri delivered one of his strongest performances in F1 to secure second place at the 2026 Japanese GP, converting a strong qualifying result into a measured and competitive race at Suzuka.
While Kimi Antonelli ultimately took victory, Piastri emerged as Mercedes’ closest challenger, leading early and demonstrating that McLaren can compete when execution is near-perfect.
Strong start sets the tone
Piastri made an immediate impact off the line, capitalising on wheelspin ahead to take the lead into the opening corners.
“I thought it was good, but I didn’t think it was super special,” he said to the media, during the post-race conference. “I think, you know, I saw Kimi go into wheelspin straight away and I didn’t really see what George [Russell] was doing, and then obviously having to go around Kimi [Antonelli] meant that the rest of my start was a little bit compromised. But yeah, it was good enough to get into the lead, which was great. So yes, clearly that was a good strength of ours today.”
That launch proved crucial, allowing him to control the early phase of the race and take advantage of clean air.
“We just nailed everything”
Reflecting on the overall performance, Piastri highlighted how well McLaren executed across the entire weekend.
“I’m not sure there was one that I was massively pleased with, but I think, clearly, we did a good job at the start today. I think this weekend we just did a really good job of optimising what we had, and I think from practice we were in a good window with the car in FP2 and we managed to get it back in that window for qualifying.”
He pointed to improvements in both car understanding and race execution.
“We had a really good understanding of what we wanted from the power unit and how we had to kind of dial it in for the qualifying grip level. And then even today, I know that we did a lot of work on the starts. I think our starts through the practice sessions were really strong, and then yeah, I think the pace was probably a positive surprise.”
Piastri also credited the team’s strategic decisions and race management.
“I think having clean air probably helped quite a lot at the start, but we did a good job, and I could pull away from George [Russell] a little bit right before the stops. And yes, I think the strategy was good as well. So, I think we just nailed everything. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough for the win, but I think at the moment a result like today is as good as a win for us at the moment.”
Safety car and race outcome
The timing of the Safety Car played a role in shaping the final result, although Piastri remains unsure whether it ultimately cost him the F1 Japanese GP victory.
“I would have loved to have seen how it would have panned out.” He said, “I think I need to look back and see whether Kimi [Antonelli] was quicker than George [Russell] or similar pace. I think if he was the same pace as George then it would have been a pretty stressful afternoon because I probably would have had both of them right on my gearbox.”
Once Antonelli regained clean air, his pace proved decisive.
“But yeah, I mean, I think once Kimi [Antonelli] had clean air, clearly, he was a lot faster than me. So, I’m not sure we would have won the race, but I certainly would have loved to have found out.”
Closing the gap to Mercedes
Despite finishing 15 seconds behind the winner, Piastri believes McLaren has taken an encouraging step forward.
“Yes. I think we knew from last year, or we know from last year, that even when you have the best car you still need to operate it at an incredibly high level. And I think today on our side we did a really good job of that.”
He stressed that the team still faces a significant performance deficit.
“But I think it’s interesting to see when someone else has the fastest car that it’s not that straightforward. And yeah, I think the fact that I could keep George [Russell] behind for so long was really encouraging. But we’re under no illusion. We did everything right this weekend and we still got beaten by 15 seconds, so we’ve got a pretty big gap to fill.”
Still, the ability to fight at the front offers motivation.
“I’m confident that we can get there, but yes, we’ve still got some work to do.”
Safety concerns remain
Piastri also addressed concerns surrounding closing speeds under the new regulations, following Oliver Bearman’s heavy accident during the race.
“I mean, we’ve spoken about that being a possibility since these cars were conceptualised. Yeah, it’s what we’re stuck with, with the power units. There’s no easy way of getting around it.”
He pointed to the unpredictability of speed differences as a key concern.
“From what I saw there was no flashing light from [Franco] Colapinto, so I don’t even think he was super clipping either, which is obviously a bit of a concern. I had a pretty close call in free practice with Nico [Hülkenberg] because he caught me about three times as quick as I expected on the straight, and we were both at full throttle.”
While drivers continue to adapt, Piastri acknowledged that further changes may be required.
“So, I think there’s clearly an element of learning for us as drivers, and where the accident happened it’s not a place where you expect someone to come from so far behind and have such a big speed difference. And whilst we’re learning that, unfortunately things like this are probably going to happen, which is a shame.”
“But, you know, I think we understand as a sport there’s a lot of things we need to tweak, a lot of things we need to change, and especially on safety grounds, yes, there’s some things that need to be looked into pretty quickly.”
A standout weekend for Piastri
Piastri described the 2026 Japanese GP weekend as one of his strongest performances in F1, highlighting both personal execution and team performance.
He admitted, “I think this weekend was probably one of my best weekends in F1.”
“I think I felt like I hit the ground running in practice, qualifying. I think we did a really good job of getting the car into the window I was happy with on Friday.”
He believes there was little more he or the team could have done.
“In the race, yeah, there wasn’t anything more we could have done. We got a good start, the pace was good. I felt like I was strategic or smart with how I used the boost and how I managed that side of racing. Our strategy was good, you know, we didn’t blink too early.”
Despite ongoing challenges, Piastri sees clear progress.
“Obviously, the Safety Car was a shame, but I think as race weekends go we couldn’t have done any better than that. So yeah, for me I’m very happy with the performance that I put in, very happy with the performance from the whole team.”
