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Oscar Piastri thinks “many” fears concerning F1’s 2026 regulations were “put to rest” at the Barcelona shakedown and is especially happy that one fear has been disproven.
Formula 1 has introduced its biggest regulatory overhaul to date this year, with new engine, chassis, aero and tyre rules all coming into force at once. But the 2026 F1 regulations raised a host of concerns before a car had hit a track, which they finally did in Barcelona last week.
The new engine regulations have garnered a lot of the attention, and they continue to amid ongoing fears that Mercedes found a loophole in F1’s 2026 engine rules. As well as the near 50/50 electric/combustion power split, F1 lowered the compression rate from 18:1 to 16:1.
Barcelona shakedown complete ✅ Which team has surprised you the most? 👇
Oscar Piastri believes F1 has avoided reliability problems deciding a title in 2026
Formula 1 even made the Barcelona shakedown a private test due to the fears that the 2026 engine rules could cause reliability issues. As well as the increased electrical power from the previous 20/80 share favouring the ICE, F1 removed the expensive and complicated MGU-H.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations
But McLaren driver Piastri was pleased to see so many teams record a lot of laps during the Barcelona shakedown, as it means F1 has avoided the possibility that a title will be decided in 2026 because of reliability problems. Mercedes penned the most laps by any team at 502.
“Seeing more teams exceed 100 laps a day was very positive,” Piastri said, via quotes by Gazzetta dello Sport. “Entering a new regulation with this level of reliability is important, because no one wants championships decided by who finishes or doesn’t.
“There will be new things to get used to, but many initial fears have been put to rest. The cars will still be incredibly fast and impressive.”
Lando Norris won the 2025 F1 title despite the only reliability failure for a championship contender
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Piastri finished third in the F1 drivers’ championship last season with a deficit of 13 points to his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris. Red Bull rival Max Verstappen even finished 2025 only two points off Norris, who suffered the only reliability failure for one of the title contenders.
Norris retired from the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix due to an oil fitting failure, which cost him P2 at Zandvoort as Piastri won and Verstappen inherited second place. That reliability problem left Norris 34 points from Piastri atop the standings, but he managed to overturn the deficit.
Norris’ title-winning points margin would also have been more comfortable were it not for McLaren recording their first-ever double disqualification in the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Briton and Piastri’s underfloor skid blocks were found to have sustained excessive wear.
In contrast, Nico Rosberg won the 2016 F1 drivers’ title by five points over Lewis Hamilton, who can point to his retirement from that year’s Malaysian Grand Prix as one moment that cost him the title. Hamilton was set to win in Sepang, but he retired with an engine failure.
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