Oscar Piastri Shuts Down Fears Over “Alien” 2026 F1 Cars

Oscar Piastri has overruled the fears of the F1 2026 cars feeling 'alien' from its predecessors from the previous regulations.

Oscar Piastri Shuts Down Fears Over “Alien” 2026 F1 Cars

Oscar Piastri (via F1)

In Short
  • Oscar Piastri reassured that the 2026 F1 cars, despite their differences, still behave like traditional Formula 1 cars.
  • The new regulations will introduce significant aerodynamic changes and a greater focus on electric power units.
  • Piastri noted that driving styles will vary by track, particularly affecting energy harvesting in circuits like Jeddah.

The upcoming 2026 Formula 1 regulations have sparked intense debate across the paddock, with several drivers and insiders questioning whether the next-generation cars could feel vastly different from the current machinery. However, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri now feels at ease after multiple testing sessions ahead of the season opener in his home country of Australia.

The 2026 regulations will introduce major aerodynamic changes and a power unit focusing more on the electric side of things. Some feared that the regulations would make the sport and the driving style feel ‘alien’ to its predecessors. However, Oscar Piastri, who had previously claimed that the cars are borderline unsafe, has now insisted the fears may have been exaggerated.

First and foremost, Oscar Piastri accepted that the cars of the 2026 regulations looked completely different from those of the ground-effect era. He added that the cars were now smaller, which was certainly a good thing. Further, Piastri pointed out that the challengers were now nimbler and the front wing was much narrower, as the cars looked and sounded much better now.

They definitely look pretty different to the last generation of cars, and are a bit smaller, which is always nice, they just look nimbler, and the front wing is much, much narrower, so they look cool, and they sound a little bit different.

Oscar Piastri said, as reported by RacingNews365.

While the visual changes are evident, Oscar Piastri acknowledged that the real shift comes from behind the wheel, particularly in how the updated power units deliver performance. The 2026 cars are expected to feature a significantly higher electrical contribution, altering energy deployment characteristics compared to the current hybrid era. Piastri reassured that despite the fears of the cars being ‘alien’ to the previous generation, it wasn’t as bad as people envisaged it to be.

There’s been a lot of talk and kind of speculation from everyone, including us as drivers, about what it was going to be like, so it was nice to get out in Barcelona and discover that it still is a Formula 1 car. It still behaves how a Formula 1 car should, in a lot of ways, and some of the things that we thought might be challenges, definitely are challenges, but not as alien as I think we might have feared.

Oscar Piastri added.

Oscar Piastri reveals ‘abnormalities’ in 2026 F1 regulations

Certainly, the new aspects of the 2026 regulations would take time for the drivers to get used to. Even Max Verstappen had claimed that the driving style would see a radical change, with F1 now feeling like “Formula E on steroids“. Following initial testing, Oscar Piastri has opened up on the abnormalities that are expected for multiple races on the calendar.

Oscar Piastri (via IMAGO)
Oscar Piastri (via IMAGO)

Oscar Piastri highlighted that the real driving experience is much different from that on the simulators. He reckoned that at some tracks, driving would be much more focused on energy harvesting. Piastri noted that the driving style would depend a lot on the track layout, especially the Saudi Arabian GP, because of the super-fast corners. As such, the 24-year-old expects abnormalities on these circuits apart from many others.

From the simulator running I’ve done, it’s very different, and I think at certain tracks, we’re going to be much more harvest-limited than we are [in Bahrain for testing], It just depends on the layout of the circuit. Jeddah is another one where you have a few straights linked together by fast corners, where it is going to be very difficult to harvest; that’s where most kinds of abnormality are going to come. 

Oscar Piastri noted.

The 2026 season seems to be exciting, especially because of these varying factors. Adapting to the changes could be the biggest hurdle for many of the drivers. However, Oscar Piastri and others have showcased great resilience so far, and will continue to do so.

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