Ralf Schumacher has seen a worrying change in McLaren boss Zak Brown since the end of last season

Follow us on Google Discover

Ralf Schumacher has suggested that McLaren have proved to be a ‘negative surprise’ already in 2026, and it’s had an impact on CEO Zak Brown in the paddock.

McLaren’s title defence didn’t start the way Zak Brown would have liked at the Australian Grand Prix.

Ted Kravitz was left surprised by Brown after his reaction to Oscar Piastri crashing on a reconnaissance lap before the start of last Sunday’s race.

How do you expect Oscar Piastri to respond to his Australian GP crash at the Chinese GP?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

The best world champion Lando Norris could do from sixth on the grid was finish P5, with Mercedes and Ferrari appearing to have a clear pace advantage.

Martin Brundle has told McLaren they need an aero package update, while their understanding of the new Mercedes power unit is still lacking compared to the works team.

Ralf Schumacher was speaking to journalist Peter Hardenacke about McLaren’s start to 2026 and the change in mood he’s spotted in Brown and team principal Andrea Stella.

READ MORE: Bernie Collins ‘surprised’ by Zak Brown’s nonchalant response to Oscar Piastri’s Australia crash

Ralf Schumacher thinks McLaren have been a ‘negative surprise’ at the start of the 2026 season

Schumacher was speaking about McLaren and Piastri’s crash in Melbourne on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast and said: “Well, you could see that he drove over the kerb, and then I think he just didn’t expect that battery performance or the overall performance, and then, just like that, like a little schoolboy, it happened to him.

“Honestly, it can happen to experienced drivers, but it shouldn’t, no question about it. I feel a bit sorry for him.

“Maybe he could have shown that the McLaren is capable of better, because Lando Norris didn’t have an easy weekend, it has to be said, he was behind in his performance, he was never satisfied with the McLaren.

“I also think that this relaxed attitude, which you saw last year with Stella, OK, he was always a bit determined, but still had a smile on his lips, Zak Brown in particular, I think you can see the difference.

Hardenacke replied: “He was very tense, wasn’t he?”

Schumacher continued: “Yes, they know full well that it’s not working, that they’ve unfortunately taken a wrong turn and are obviously too far behind over the winter.

“Then, I have to say, it’s a negative surprise when you see that Mercedes, Ferrari and, I would say, Red Bull are the strongest, with Ferrari and Red Bull behind Mercedes, and then there’s a big gap.”

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

Oscar Piastri doesn’t expect ‘deficit’ to Mercedes to disappear at the Chinese Grand Prix

Nobody will be more desperate to get out on track at the Chinese Grand Prix and make up for what happened in Australia than Piastri.

His crash left thousands of home fans disappointed, although Jacques Villeneuve still thought a podium was out of reach for Piastri in Melbourne.

Looking ahead to the first Sprint weekend of the 2026 season, Piastri said in his official pre-race media debrief: “I think we learned, after qualifying especially and in the days since, that we didn’t necessarily optimise what we had in Melbourne.

“Throughout practice, the picture looked a lot more optimistic – I think overly optimistic at points, but it was a surprise for us to lose so much competitiveness from Friday to Saturday. I think we’ve got a pretty good understanding of why now, so I think we can get closer.

“We still think we’re going to have a deficit to Mercedes, but I think we identified a lot of things we can do better.”

Piastri won the Chinese Grand Prix last year, once again making up for the disappointment he endured at his home race in the previous round.

Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, that looks like it’s going to be far more difficult to achieve compared to last year.