25 April 2026SpeedcafeRace reportDriver Ratings

Piastri: Mercedes Remains Unbeatable Even After Mid‑Season Rule Changes

After a crash‑filled start in Australia and a power‑unit failure in China, Oscar Piastri showed promise in Japan but says Mercedes’ mastery and chassis edge keep them out of reach, despite new rules.

Oscar Piastri’s 2026 season opened with a crash on the first lap in Australia and a power‑unit failure in China. He rebounded in Japan, qualifying third and leading early before finishing second, but says the new regulation tweaks won’t dent Mercedes’ dominance. Piastri added that, while the rule changes aim to narrow the power‑unit gap, McLaren’s chassis and aerodynamic shortfall remains the bigger hurdle.

Why it matters:

Mercedes’ power‑unit superiority has already yielded three wins, giving them a clear early championship lead.
The works team’s energy‑recovery expertise creates a performance gap that customer teams like McLaren, Williams and Alpine can’t close.

The details:

In Japan Piastri qualified P3, led early, but a safety‑car handed Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes the win; Piastri finished second.
Mid‑season rule changes for the Miami GP will cap qualifying battery harvesting and curb super‑clipping, targeting Mercedes’ power‑unit edge.

What's next:

Piastri heads to Miami sixth in the standings, four points behind teammate Lando Norris and 51 points off leader Antonelli.
He expects the power‑unit gap to narrow marginally, but closing the aerodynamic deficit will be the key challenge for McLaren.