Oscar Piastri describes the ‘major change’ in McLaren’s 2026 F1 car after completing his first simulator runs

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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri won’t want to be looking too far into the future given the current state of Formula 1.

Heading into the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, Oscar Piastri leads the drivers’ championship by 22 points.

Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris is his closest rival, with Max Verstappen and George Russell lurking in the background.

However, the Australian has been spectacular this season and already has five Grand Prix victories to his name in 2025.

Piastri is balancing a host of different responsibilities this season, alongside his racing, including press events, training and recovery.

However, with Formula 1’s new regulations on the horizon, the 24-year-old is also beginning to play his part in working on next year’s McLaren.

Every team on the grid is beginning to balance work on this year’s car and next year’s machine, with the likes of Williams fully focused on 2026 already.

McLaren are nearly 200 points clear of their nearest rivals in the constructors’ championship, although the driver standings are far closer.

In theory, this means McLaren could shift more focus to next year, but team principal Andrea Stella is unlikely to take that chance.

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Oscar Piastri provides update on McLaren’s 2026 Formula 1 car

Piastri was asked during an event hosted by Stagwell at Cannes how much work he’s done on McLaren’s 2026 car so far and explained: “A little bit.

“We’ve done a couple of runs in the simulator already, trying to help out the team for next year and also help out Mercedes, who build our engines.

“That’s the major change for next year, how the engines work and how the power’s going to be used.

“So, that’s something we need to get our heads around. It’s going to be unlike anything I’ve ever driven before.

“So, we’re starting with that, but until the car really gets to its launch spec, there’s not too much use for me at the moment.

“I can pretty much tell you if it’s good or bad, I can’t get into the finer details. But, at the moment, there’s still a lot of development going on with that.

“So, until we get a bit closer to where we want our target to be, then I’ll keep focusing on this year.”

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

Oscar Piastri is setting the standard for Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1 this season

Piastri helping Mercedes with their engines sounds counterproductive at first.

Although McLaren are a Mercedes customer, the margins are likely to be so tight that any information the Australian gives his rivals could work against him.

However, it’s still in McLaren’s best interests for Mercedes to provide them with the best power unit possible, highlighting the conundrum of being a customer team in Formula 1.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is hoping Piastri will be a role model for Andrea Kimi Antonelli during his rookie season.

It’s easy to forget that Piastri has barely taken part in 50 Grand Prix and is already a title contender, something Mercedes will be hoping from Antonelli in the near future.

Davide Valsecchi believes every F1 driver dreams of having Piastri’s racing attributes, but the 24-year-old now needs to begin balancing his work on the track with helping McLaren develop a championship-winning car for the next era of the sport.