Oscar Piastri: Martin Brundle says McLaren driver will 'come back with a vengeance' after missing out on 2025 F1 title | F1 News

Martin Brundle expects Oscar Piastri to “come back with a vengeance” after narrowly missing out on his maiden Formula 1 title last year.

Piastri led the Drivers' Championship ahead of McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 34 points with nine of the 24 rounds remaining, and had a remarkably consistent run which saw him finish on the podium 14 times in 15 races, with the sole exception a fourth place in Canada.

However, he would go on a run of six races without a podium, allowing Norris to take control of the title race and finish third in the drivers' standings behind his teammate and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second.

"I think he will come back with a vengeance," Sky Sports F1 » said Brundle.

“It was part painful, part brilliant for him last year. He learned a lot.

“I think it's openly accepted that on very low grip circuits he doesn't get the most out of the car and the tires, so he knows he has to sort that out.

“But some of his wins have been so dominant, so impressive. I think he'll take a lot from them.”

McLaren dominated the Constructors' Championship last year to win the team title for a second consecutive year, but a regulation reset for 2026 could potentially reset the pecking order.

While most would expect McLaren to remain in contention at the top of the grid, it is Mercedes who are the bookmakers' favorite to lead the grid before the start of the new season.

After last week's first test, a 'shakedown' for the new cars in Barcelona, ​​the next official tests in Bahrain from February 11-13 and 18-20 are expected to reveal more.

The real action then begins with Piastri's home race, the Australian Grand Prix, March 6-8 in Melbourne.

Brundle added: “I’m sure it was painful at the end for him, and I think it will be a driver.

“We've been watching him. He's an incredibly bright kid, he's clearly competitive, he's a hard worker, and I think he'll come back having taken a big step forward.”

When do F1 Bahrain pre-season testing take place?

The introduction of new regulations means there is a strong schedule of three separate test events before the start of the 2026 season.

With the Barcelona Shakedown now complete, F1 will next travel to Bahrain for two “official” pre-season tests, when the media will be in attendance and live timing from the circuit will be available.

Two three-day tests in Bahrain will take place from February 11-13 and 18-20.

When is the first F1 race?

Teams then have two weeks to prepare for the season-opening round, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, March 6-8.

The first practice sessions of the season will take place on Friday March 6, with qualifying on Saturday March 7 and the opening race on Sunday March 8.

Watch every race of the 2026 F1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6-8. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime