Martin Brundle backs Oscar Piastri for F1 2026 title charge

Sky Sports F1 pundit and former driver Martin Brundle believes Oscar Piastri will return "with a vengeance" for the 2026 season, having learned critical lessons from a painful near-miss in the 2025 title fight. Brundle expects the Australian to make a significant step forward and mount a serious challenge for his first World Championship.

Why it matters:

Piastri's development from a promising rookie to a consistent title contender is a central narrative for McLaren and F1. After leading the championship for much of 2025 only to finish third, his response in 2026 will test his championship mettle and determine if he can convert raw speed and race wins into a title-winning campaign, especially against a teammate now crowned champion.

The details:

• Brundle's assessment comes after Piastri's 2025 season, where he held a 34-point lead over teammate Lando Norris after the Dutch Grand Prix but ultimately lost the title after a costly six-race podium drought.
• The pundit described Piastri's 2025 as "partly painful, partly brilliant," noting the driver learned a great deal from the experience.
• A key area for improvement has been identified: performance on low-grip circuits. Brundle stated it is "openly accepted" that Piastri struggles to extract the maximum from the car and tires on such tracks.
• Despite the setback, Brundle highlighted Piastri's dominant victories as evidence of his high ceiling, calling them "so impressive."
• Piastri's character and work ethic are seen as major assets. Brundle called him an "incredibly bright lad" who is "clearly competitive" and "a worker."

What's next:

The 2026 season represents a fresh start with new technical regulations, offering Piastri a chance to reset. His first taste of McLaren's new MCL40 in Barcelona was curtailed by a fuel-systems issue, but the focus is now squarely on pre-season development. If he can address his consistency on weaker circuits and build on his proven race-winning speed, Piastri is positioned as a prime contender to challenge Norris, Verstappen, and the field for the 2026 crown.