Fourth time and forty-eight laps under his belt. Oscar Piastri’s may seem like a decent balance, given that it is the second day on track for the MCL40, but given the distances that the teams are completing on the Catalunya circuit, covering less than the distance of a Grand Prix in the eight hours of testing available indicates some unforeseen events. Piastri’s first outing of the season was shortened by a problem with the fuel system, created by McLaren.
“It was nice to get back on track and above all to do it with a new car – commented Piastri – but unfortunately today we had some problems with the fuel system which shortened our day a little. I know that the team is working to resolve it in view of tomorrow, where we will try to do the greatest number of laps”.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo at: McLaren
Piastri confirmed how the first aim of these tests is precisely to identify potential youth problems, but at the same time they represent a precious opportunity to begin the work of getting together with the new single-seater. “The priority is to try to identify and solve every ‘bug’, they are the first steps of completely new cars and completely different engines to those we have had in recent years. We have already identified some things that we will try to improve to make the car a little more pleasant.”
Oscar’s comments proved to be in line with those of many other drivers, the 2026 season for those behind the wheel of this generation of single-seaters will be full of challenges, many of which will represent absolute novelties. “I believe there are many aspects in which you can make a difference, and it’s exciting to know that a tough challenge awaits you. I’m aware that I’ll have to work hard, but it will be the same for everyone. There will be some aspects of these cars that we’ve never had to face in our entire career, so we have to be ready to learn.”
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo at: McLaren
In the very short term, the work that awaits Piastri is aimed at understanding the single-seater, an activity that will begin tomorrow and then get to the heart of the Sakhir tests. “We are faced with such a huge change that we have to familiarize ourselves with many aspects that we now took for granted. The car, obviously, has less aerodynamic load, so we will have to get used to new sensations and do it as quickly as possible, but this year the use of the power unit will also be different.”
For Oscar it is the first ‘reset’ of the regulations since he has been in Formula 1. “It will be interesting to see how we position ourselves as a team, and in terms of my role last year I proved to myself that I know what I am capable of. There are still aspects I need to improve and work on, but I feel I have made a good step forward and I can apply these lessons to any regulations that are introduced, so I can’t wait to get started.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com team
