Oscar Piastri has shared his insights on Mercedes’s pace advantage, Ferrari’s ability to battle the Brackley-based outfit so far, how McLaren can draw inspiration from more than one team when it comes to the development trajectory of the MCL40, and the inconsistencies in the usage of the SLM in the 2026 F1 season.
Despite their relatively underwhelming race starts, the German outfit has been miles ahead of the other ten teams when it comes to their on-track performance, especially in qualifying. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have claimed all three pole positions and victories until now, and Mercedes have built a comfortable gap of 45 points to their next best rival, Ferrari.
Piastri on where McLaren need to improve in comparison to Mercedes
Speaking in a print media session ahead of the 2026 Japanese GP, Oscar Piastri shed some light on how Mercedes are significantly faster than McLaren and the other teams in the early rounds of the new F1 season.
Surmising that Mercedes’s advantage is partly down to the more downforce the W17 generates, the Australian also added that they are utilising their homegrown power units more efficiently than McLaren.
“Ah, I think just brick. There’s nothing magical; I think they just have probably more downforce. I think they’re using the power unit probably a bit better than us at the moment.
“And it’s as simple as that, really. There’s no magic [to it].”
Piastri believes McLaren F1 can draw inspiration from more than one car in 2026
With regard to him finishing sixth in the Sprint race in China after being overtaken late on by Antonelli, Oscar Piastri emphasised how the available data has revealed that the W17 is stronger than the MCL40 in every section of the track.
“Kimi [Antonelli] disappeared in front of me pretty quickly [in the Chinese GP Sprint race].
“The more helpful tool is definitely looking at the data. We’re losing a bit everywhere. There’s not really one area where we’re weak or one area that we’re strong in. It’s just a bit across the board.”
Reiterating that generating more downforce would allow them to close the gap to Mercedes, the 25-year-old also noted how Ferrari have excellent traction in the corners despite having an inferior power unit.
Furthermore, Piastri highlighted the Ferrari drivers’ superlative race starts and their ability to go toe-to-toe with the Mercedes pair for multiple laps and remarked that McLaren can draw inspiration from the SF-26’s performance in the early races of the 2026 F1 campaign as well.
“So, I think just finding more downforce is our main opportunity.
“I think the Ferrari is interesting as well. I think, as I would say, it almost looks like they’re better around the corners. But maybe a bit worse, whether it’s the power unit or drag. China was quite interesting. I think the way they’ve been able to battle the Mercedes is also quite interesting.
“Because it’s not just pure […] you know, the qualifying pace, I think Mercedes has got a clear advantage over everybody. But the way that Ferrari are able to battle with them or contend with them, at the start of races especially, is quite interesting to see.
“So, I think there’s inspiration in more than just one car.”
Piastri on the discrepancy in the effectiveness of the SLM in 2026 F1 season
In terms of the Ferrari drivers claiming that Mercedes’s SLM [straight-line mode] is more powerful and whether their mastery stems from better deployment, Oscar Piastri responded, “Not sure.”
Explaining that McLaren are aware of how their power unit supplier, Mercedes, are more efficient in their overall energy management and usage of the SLM, the nine-time race winner inferred that deficiencies in multiple areas add up to the MCL40’s relative lack of pace.
“We definitely saw the way the straight mode closes in China, which was interesting. But I don’t know if it’s anything to do with the straight mode itself.
“I think we kind of understand where we’re losing a bit in terms of power unit usage. And yeah, I’m sure maybe there’s something there as well. But there’s just little bits everywhere.”
Moreover, Piastri underscored the intricacies of the 2026 F1 power units and elaborated on how sensitive the deployment algorithms are. Drawing attention to how a small mistake in one part of a track can somehow have consequences in a different sector later on in the tour, he maintained that the potency of the SLM varies from lap to lap and even between the drivers from the same team.
“And especially on the power unit side of things, small differences or seemingly small differences add up incredibly quickly.
“Even teams from lap to lap or driver to driver within the same team, you make mistakes at one point and it somehow helps you at a different point in the lap. Or weird stuff happens.
“So, I think even looking at driver to driver within the same team, or even lap to lap from the same driver, the straight-line speed can be wildly different.”
