Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver, commented on the radical changes that the new Formula 1 cars have undergone for the 2026 season. With a major overhaul of the technical regulations, the cars have become narrower, shorter, and lighter, and feature active aerodynamics. Additionally, the engines have also undergone a significant revision, with a 50-50 power split between the internal combustion engine and the batteries, which will now be capable of generating up to 350 kW of power.
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Despite these transformations, Piastri does not believe that driving the cars has become excessively difficult, as some people feared. For him, the change will be more focused on the conditions of each track and adjustments in throttle usage to recharge the batteries, something that already existed but will be more pronounced.
“It will depend a lot on the track and the corners,” the Australian stated. “On some circuits, it will be easier to recharge the battery than on others, but the consequences and the power will be three times greater now. Even so, the way of driving doesn’t change that much,” he said.
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Piastri continued: “There is nothing excessively strange. We won’t have to make very abrupt changes in driving,” the Australian driver concluded.
