Oscar Piastri says anyone hoping for easier close following in 2026 'kidding themselves'

A whole host of changes have been made to the rulesets for the upcoming season, with a particular focus on the aerodynamics and power units of the latest generation of Formula 1 cars.

The cars have been made noticeably smaller and are also lighter in weight. Furthermore, significantly more of the horsepower produced is generated electrically at around 50% of the total power output.

Many have speculated that this combination of changes could result in less of a performance deficit when following close behind another car, an issue that has adversely impacted close racing action in recent years.

However, McLaren driver Piastri is not sure that drivers or spectators will feel or notice much of a change in this regard.

Piastri has previously stated that his new MCL40 feels radically different to drive in a few key areas compared to last year's MCL39, a car that he challenged for the 2025 Drivers' Title with.

One aspect that he stated feels markedly different is the power delivery, which is a lot more aggressive as experienced after three days of testing at a pre-season shakedown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

But speaking to select media, including GrandPrix247, at a Press Conference at the McLaren Technology Centre on Tuesday, the Australian driver claimed that the effect of dirty air following behind another car won't change much at all.

He said: "I do not know well enough yet. I did follow a couple of cars. It is very difficult, especially in testing, because you never know fuel load or tyres. So it is difficult to get a read.

"Anyone expecting a radical improvement is probably kidding themselves. It is still a Formula 1 car. Any single seater is hard to follow, and an F1 car is harder because of more downforce.

"It has gone in the right direction, but time will tell. There is still going to be dirty air around," stated the 24-year-old.

With McLaren providing the most dominant vehicular package in the final couple years in the ground-effect era of F1, a significant rule change could have made them feel hard done by.

However, Piastri contested that tweaks to the technical regulations is an important part of the sport and he is confident that the Woking-based outfit will be able to provide him with a competitive car in the years ahead.

He continued: "Rule change is part of F1 and we have known it is coming for a long time. I have always been confident the team we have is capable of tackling any rule set.

"We proved in the last rule set that even if we started on the back foot, we turned it around quickly. In 2023, getting a point or 2 was a good effort. Two seasons later, we won the Constructors’ Championship so early and fought for the Drivers’ Championship with both cars.

"That is an impressive team. No matter what rules we get thrown, we will be flying somewhere towards the front," concluded Piastri.