Martin Brundle expects Oscar Piastri to “come back with a vengeance” after narrowly missing out on a maiden Formula 1 title last year.
Piastri led the Drivers’ Championship from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by 34 points with nine of the 24 rounds remaining, and was on a remarkably consistent run that saw him finish on the podium 14 times in 15 races, with the only outlier a fourth place in Canada.
However, he would go on a run of six races without a podium, allowing Norris to seize control of the title race and eventually finished third in the drivers’ standings behind his team-mate and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second.
“I think he’ll come back with a vengeance,” Sky Sports F1’s Brundle said.
“It was partly painful, partly brilliant for him last year. He learned a lot.
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“I think it’s openly accepted that on the really low-grip circuits, he’s not getting the best out of the car and out of the tyres, so he knows he’s got to fix that.
“But some of the victories he’s had were so dominant, so impressive. I think he’ll take a lot from that.”
McLaren dominated the Constructors’ Championship last year to claim the teams’ title for a second successive year, but a reset of the regulations for 2026 has the potential to reset the pecking order.
While most would expect McLaren to remain in contention at the front of the grid, it is Mercedes who are the bookies’ favourites to lead the grid ahead of the start of the new season.
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After last week’s first testing event, a ‘shakedown’ for the new cars in Barcelona, upcoming official tests in Bahrain from February 11-13 and 18-20 should reveal more.
The real action then begins with Piastri’s home race, the Australian Grand Prix, from March 6-8 in Melbourne.
Brundle added: “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, he’s clearly competitive, he’s a worker, and I think he’ll come back having made a big step forward.”
When is F1 Bahrain pre-season testing?
The introduction of new regulations means there is a robust schedule of three separate testing events before the start of the 2026 season.
With the closed Barcelona Shakedown now complete, F1 will next head to Bahrain for two ‘official’ pre-season tests, when media will be present and live timing from the circuit available.
Two three-day Bahrain tests take place on February 11-13 and 18-20.
When is the first F1 race?
The teams then have two weeks to prepare for the opening round of the season, which is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from March 6-8.
The first practice sessions of the season will take place on Friday March 6, with Qualifying on Saturday March 7 and the opening race on Sunday March 8.
Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
