Oscar Piastri reflected on his first day on track at the 2026 F1 Barcelona shakedown. The Australian’s first day of running did not go completely smoothly, as Piastri admits a fuel system issue cut the day short. Still, the McLaren driver remains excited to go again tomorrow and to work hard to ensure everything goes as planned.
Piastri finished the day fourth-fastest, with a lap time of 1.18.419. He completed 48 laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya before McLaren had to end the session early. When asked about how the program unfolded, Piastri said the following to F1.com.
“It was nice to be back out, and especially in a new car. A lot of new challenges for us this year up and down the grid, so it’s nice to get stuck into some of them. Unfortunately, a few issues today. We had a fuel system issue which cut our day a bit short, but I know the team’s working really hard to get that again and get us back out for as many laps as we can tomorrow.”
Piastri on 2026 F1 shakedown in Barcelona: “There’s plenty of lessons to be learned”
The testing period is crucial for F1 teams to adapt to the car and new regulations. With Piastri entering his fourth year in F1, the Barcelona shakedown is particularly significant for him.
When asked about the car’s progress, the McLaren driver emphasised the importance of identifying issues with the MCL40.
“Definitely, the first few things are just trying to iron out all these bugs, find the problems. They’re all completely different cars, completely different engines to what we’ve had for the last three or four years. That’s part of what this test is about and I think we’ve already identified a few things we can try and improve on the car to make it feel a bit nicer. They’re all gonna be different to what we’ve had, so just trying to find all the bugs, all the problems, and then try and make the car faster.
“It’s definitely been a challenge and exciting. There’s a lot of areas where you can be a point of difference and make a point of difference now, which is exciting, and we’ve gotta put in the hard work to make that happen. But yeah, like I’ve said, there’s a lot of challenges for all of us up and down the grid. There’s gonna be some aspects of these cars that we’ve never really had to do before in our careers. So there’s plenty of lessons to be learned.” Piastri said when asked about the new elements this season.
Finding a good direction
As 2026 marks a new era of Formula 1 regulations, the shakedown is an essential learning process ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain. This presents a new challenge, as the Aussie has only experienced his first three F1 seasons during the ground-effect era.
When asked what else he would like to get out of the shakedown before going to Bahrain, the 24-year-old talked about the stark differences to the previous era.
“Just trying to get a better feel for what the car is like. There is such a big departure from what we’ve had the last few years, and all of my time in F1, there’s a lot of things to understand. Obviously, there’s new engines to understand, but just the philosophy of the car is completely different as well, and less downforce. So just getting used to that and how different things feel, trying to get a good read on that and as quickly as possible find a good direction to make the car quicker and feel nicer. That’s always the aim.”
Piastri’s first regulation reset in F1
Speaking about coming into the new era of Formula 1 in 2026, Piastri is ready to tackle the challenge, saying:
“I’m excited. I’ve had a good first three years in F1, and this is my first regulation reset, so it’s gonna be interesting to see where we come out as a team. I feel like last year I really proved to myself the things that I’m capable of. Definitely still the things I need to improve and work on as well. I feel like I really took a good step forward, and those lessons I can take forward into whatever rules we get, so I’m excited.”
The Aussie’s first three F1 years ended with a P3 in the Drivers’ Championship and a title fight with McLaren. His ability to adapt and improve quickly has been impressive. Undoubtedly, he hopes to carry this strong momentum into this season.
The final sessions of the 2026 F1 Barcelona shakedown will be critical for Piastri as he prepares for the season.
