F1 news: Oscar Piastri confident Mercedes can be caught despite dominant 2026 start
Oscar Piastri has expressed confidence that Mercedes’ early dominance in the 2026 Formula 1 season can be challenged, despite the Silver Arrows winning each of the opening races.
Mercedes have set the pace in the new era of regulations, quickly establishing themselves as the benchmark team.
Their advantage has been clear across the opening rounds, with strong performances from both drivers and a car that appears to be a step ahead of the competition.
However, Piastri believes the gap can be closed.
‘Nothing magical’ about Mercedes pace
“I think just grip,” he said. “There’s nothing magical about it. 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.”
The McLaren driver’s confidence comes after a promising showing at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he secured a podium finish.
Piastri led the early stages of the race before losing out due to the timing of a Safety Car, eventually finishing second.
It marked a welcome turnaround after he recorded DNS results in both Australia and China.
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Reality check despite podium finish
Despite the positive result, the Australian acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead.
“But we’re under no illusion,” he said. “We did everything right this weekend and we still got beaten by 15 seconds, so we’ve got a pretty big gap to fill.”
Mercedes’ pace advantage has been evident not only in race conditions but also across qualifying and race stints, with the team consistently able to pull clear once in clean air.
That has made it difficult for rivals such as McLaren and Ferrari to apply sustained pressure.
Even so, Piastri is encouraged by the progress McLaren have made in closing that gap.
“I’m confident that we can get there, but yes, we’ve still got some work to do,” he added.
With development expected to play a decisive role over the coming months, the fight at the front could yet become far closer than the opening races have suggested.
F1 returns after a month’s break on the weekend of May 1 to May 3 for the fifth edition of the Miami Grand Prix, where McLaren will look to continue building momentum.
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