Oscar Piastri’s low-grip question resurfaces with F1 2026 cars

F1 2026 marks a new era for Formula 1, and for Oscar Piastri specifically, a shot at redemption after last year’s title challenge fell apart.

As the drivers continue to learn about these vastly different F1 machines, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the downforce-rich days of the ground effect era are gone. These cars are a low-grip test. Good news for the viewers, but could it be bad news for Piastri.

Oscar Piastri and the F1 2026 car: Friend or foe?

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

After building a healthy points advantage in F1 2025, Piastri’s charge stumbled in the latter part of the season, especially at low grip venues.

It gave rise to the theory that Piastri struggles when he doesn’t have the grip underneath him. That has prompted Sky F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz to suggest Formula 1’s new, less grippy cars could give the Australian rise for concern.

“Piastri, up against Lando Norris, high on confidence,” said Kravitz at Bahrain testing.

“But, I think what will happen to Piastri will be about whether these new cars suit his style.

“What might worry him is that they have all-round less grip, and if you remember where he lost touch with the performance of this McLaren last year, it was on low-grip circuits and low-grip circumstances.

“If the cars all around have low grip, that might be an issue that Piastri has to deal with.”

What is the Oscar Piastri low-grip chatter all about?

The belief is that Piastri struggles to produce his best form on tracks which are considered harder for generating good tyre grip.

Piastri led the 2025 Drivers’ Championship by 34 points at one stage, yet, a disastrous and very out of character Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he crashed in qualifying and the race, marked the start of a six-race run without a podium.

After the United States Grand Prix, where Piastri finished fifth as part of this slump, McLaren boss Andrea Stella pointed to the low-grip track theory.

“I think we know with Oscar that when the conditions are such that we have low grip, you really need to challenge the car, lean on the understeer, oversteer, locking, this is an area of his driving that has an opportunity to improve.

“And in Oscar’s standards, this means that he will improve pretty fast.”

But, Stella was singing from the same hymn sheet when Piastri qualified six-tenths slower than McLaren teammate – and eventual World Champion Lando Norris – at the next round in Mexico.

“I think in Austin and here, the conditions are such that the car slides a lot, and I think this requires a particular familiarity with the car, with how you exploit the car, which possibly is something on which Oscar needs to still work a little bit,” Stella told Formula 1.

Piastri himself hinted at this weakness to correct, following his title defeat.

“There’s just been some races, obviously more recently, where things just haven’t clicked,” he said when quizzed by PlanetF1.com on where he has room for improvement.

“Austin and Mexico in particular, there were still some opportunities to become a better driver all-round in terms of my driving style and how I adapt to different conditions and different needs from the car.

“That’s really it, to be honest. I think for probably 90 per cent of the season, what I’ve done has worked very well.

“But there’ve been certain moments through the year where I’ve realised there are still things to improve on and still ways I can get better.”

Why could Oscar Piastri struggle with the new F1 2026 cars?

Since a more flighty car was one which Piastri seemingly struggled with last year, that does not bode well ahead of F1 2026.

The new cars are smaller, lighter, and herald a return to over body aerodynamics. The reduction in downforce has significantly altered the driving experience.

“We have a lot less downforce than previous years,” Lewis Hamilton told the Formula 1 website following the Barcelona shakedown test.

“The car generation is actually a little bit more fun to drive. It’s oversteery and snappy and sliding, but it’s a little bit easier to catch.

“Yeah, I would definitely say more enjoyable.”

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss told PlanetF1.com and others: “There’s just less load on this car than what Formula 1 cars have had in the past.”

PlanetF1.com’s Mat Coch and Thomas Maher are on the ground for Bahrain testing, and noted that these new cars are clearly more skittish than their ground effect predecessors, with traction out of slow corners looking more tricky.

It was also observed that the braking and turn-in phase appeared less easy with the new cars, which are lazier on the front end.

Latest F1 2026 talking points via PlanetF1.com

Aston Martin ‘needs to find four seconds’ as Lance Stroll lifts lid on AMR26 struggles

Audi’s hidden R26 bib detail reveals clever 2026 aero twist

But we certainly cannot rule Oscar Piastri out yet

It could easily be argued that ominous signs are there for Piastri.

However, it must be remembered that Piastri made remarkable progress across his first three seasons in F1. His rapid progress made him a serious 2025 title contender, and the championship leader for much of the campaign.

Piastri is not yet the finished article, which he and McLaren knew going into the off-season. That is significant. Considering his impressive progress to date, there is no reason why Piastri cannot exercise this low-grip demon, thus taking another step towards becomming the complete driving package.

And of course, it is generally accepted that the ground effect cars required a certain driving style. Just because they were difficult for Piastri to master on tracks where they were sliding around more, does not mean he would have the same issue with these new cars, designed to a very different aerodynamic concept, and apparently set to slide as standard.

Only as the season plays out will we learn how Piastri is getting on with these new cars. It will be the first Formula 1 regulation change which he has experienced.

But, do not count him out yet. He is a multi-time junior champion, and a widely-regarded Formula 1 World Champion in-waiting, for a reason.

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Mercedes F1 2026 compression ratio debate nears boiling point ahead of homologation