Oscar Piastri and McLaren have successfully completed the first round of F1 2026 Bahrain testing. Piastri did the second most laps, putting in 215 laps over three sessions.
Speaking to F1.com after 2026 Bahrain testing, he was satisfied with how things went.
“The biggest positive from the test has just been how smoothly it’s gone for us, especially all three days we got a lot of laps in, but especially day two and day three.
“Both of us got the most laps of the day in, and we’ve had a few minor niggles here and there, but everything’s run pretty much to plan, which has been good.
“We’ve got a much better idea of what our car likes, what it doesn’t like and some of the opportunities going forward as well. It’s been a very productive week.”
Oscar Piastri on the new regulations after 2026 F1 Bahrain testing
Many F1 drivers have strong opinions on the 2026 regulations, including Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris. After Max Verstappen told print media that “The feeling is not very Formula 1-like”, Norris said that he enjoyed it and hit back at Verstappen. The Briton said, “If he wants to retire, he can retire. Formula 1 changes all the time.”
Piastri, on the other hand, is newer to the grid. Thus, it is his first major regulatory change since he came in 2023.
“They’re certainly different, that’s for sure. There’s a lot to get used to, there’s a lot of things that we’ve never really had to do before in an F1 car.”
He added: “Not necessarily the most instinctive things to do, but it’s the same challenge for everybody, and there’s always been things that you need to adapt to in a race car. It’s just different, really.”
Piastri will be back in the MCL40 this week for the second round of 2026 Bahrain testing. After that, the 2026 season will kick off with his home race. The Australian Grand Prix will be the first time F1 teams truly understand their new cars in terms of pace.
