Oscar Piastri tipped for vengeful return after 2025 title defeat

Oscar Piastri is determined to bounce back stronger in the 2026 F1 season, fueled by the painful memory of losing the 2025 world championship to his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. After a dominant mid-season run, Piastri's campaign unraveled, allowing Norris to snatch the title by a narrow margin in the final rounds.

Why it matters:

Piastri's response to this crushing defeat will define McLaren's internal dynamic and its championship prospects. A driver's ability to learn from such a high-stakes loss, especially to a teammate, is a critical test of mental fortitude and future potential in Formula 1.

The details:

• Piastri appeared destined for the title after a commanding grand chelem victory at the 2025 Dutch GP, which gave him a 34-point lead over Norris.
• His form subsequently declined, and Norris deposed him from the championship lead with just four races remaining, eventually winning by 13 points.
• Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle believes the experience, while painful, will be a powerful motivator: "He'll come back with a vengeance... He learned a lot."
• Brundle identified a specific weakness for Piastri to address: extracting performance from the car on low-grip circuits.

What's next:

The 2026 season presents a fresh challenge with sweeping new technical regulations, including a 50/50 combustion-electric power split and a more powerful MGU-K. Piastri acknowledges the steep learning curve ahead, stating there are "plenty of lessons to be learned" with aspects of the new cars that drivers have never experienced. His focus is on turning the hard lessons of 2025 into a point of difference for the coming campaign.