Martin Brundle pinpoints exactly what Oscar Piastri must ‘fix’ to become 2026 F1 world champion

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri will hope that the upcoming regulation changes don’t scupper his hopes of beating teammate Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, heading into the 2026 campaign.

Oscar Piastri led the championship for more than half of the season in 2025, but a tricky end to the campaign meant he finished third in the standings.

The Australian driver will be more than aware that McLaren might not be in as dominant a position as last year now that the cars have completely changed heading into this season.

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Gary Anderson has been left impressed by one part of Piastri’s car during the Barcelona shakedown, although it appears that Mercedes are the team to beat at this early stage of the year.

For Piastri, his priority will be continuing his rapid level of improvement from year-to-year since his debut in 2023.

Martin Brundle has been reflecting on where he went wrong last season, and believes he’s pinpointed exactly what he needs to fix to become world champion this year.

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Martin Brundle says Oscar Piastri must ‘fix’ his issues on low-grip F1 circuits

Brundle was asked on The F1 Show about whether he thought Piastri would become champion in 2026 if he got the same opportunity as last season.

He explained: “Yeah, I think he’ll come back with a vengeance, to be honest.

“It was partly painful, partly brilliant for him last year. He learned a lot.

“I think that it’s openly accepted that on the really low grip circuits, he’s not getting the best out of a car and out of the tyre.

“So, he knows he’s got to fix that. But I mean, some of the victories he’s had were so dominant, so impressive. I think he’ll take a lot from that.

Will Piastri have a better career than any driver on this list?

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“I’m sure it was painful in the end for him. And I think that will be a driver. We’ve observed him. He’s an incredibly bright lad, and he’s clearly competitive.

“He’s a worker, and I think he’ll come back having made a big step forward.”

Piastri lost crucial points in Baku, Singapore and Sao Paulo as he watched his lead over Norris and Verstappen slip away.

However, his comeback in Qatar, only thwarted by McLaren’s poor strategy calls, suggests that by the end of the season, he was already finding solutions to his problems.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Oscar Piastri reflects on McLaren’s performance at the 2026 Barcelona shakedown

The two three-day tests coming up in Bahrain will give fans a far better idea of where McLaren and Piastri sit in the pecking order at the beginning of the campaign.

Brundle’s comment on Piastri being ‘incredibly bright’ will play into the 24-year-old’s hands, as many believe that the new aerodynamic and power deployment systems will play into the hands of the smartest drivers.

Reflecting on how his time in the MCL40 went at the Circuit de Catalunya, Piastri said: “I’m starting to feel what the car is really like, and we’ve already tried a variety of configurations and settings to understand how it behaves for a race weekend.

“Overall, the priority this week has been clear: understand the car and improve it. There’s still plenty to learn, especially on the power unit side.

“Together with HPP, we’re working to deepen our understanding to extract the most performance. The feedback from both me and Lando is proving valuable

“ We’ve also identified some differences from last year across the chassis, with the car carrying more downforce, so getting used to that balance has been a key focus.”