7 hours ago
4
A strong team and competent driving ability won't hold Piastri back from glory, according to manager Mark Webber, but a strong competitive field could.
Australia’s Oscar Piastri is the big hopeful to take out the 2026 Formula One Championship, according to his manager, and former F1 driver, Mark Webber.
Speaking to Drive on the upstart’s chances this year to take top honours ahead of the inaugural race in Melbourne, Webber laid out the biggest hurdles Piastri will need to overcome.
“Of course, I hope Oscar [wins this year], I hope it’s his turn,” Webber said.
“There’s going to be stiff opposition, but he is with an amazing team in McLaren.
“I think they’ve got to back up more world titles, and there’s no reason they can’t do that, but Mercedes, Ferrari – you never discount Max and Red Bull – they’re always there, they always just find a way.
“But when you’ve got someone of Oscar’s calibre, he finds a way to do things that are pretty unique as well.
“His trajectory in the sport, in such a short period of time, is an absolute credit to him.
“He’s new to the equipment that McLaren have provided but also, he’s helped lift the team – there’s no question about that, he’s helped lift the team with his arrival.
“So that’s been a good partnership, and I hope they can challenge again for it this year.”
Last year, Piastri finished third in the championship behind Max Verstappen and the Australian’s teammate Lando Norris.
He led the standings in the first half of the season, taking out seven race wins, before falling back after the European summer break to finish 11 points behind Verstappen and 13 points behind Norris.
The 2026 F1 championship will kick off this weekend in Melbourne, but new rules introduced this years’ will see cars lean more heavily on electric power rather than the 1.6-litre V6 petrol engines, with a 50/50 power split between the twso energy sources.
The season will then travel across the world before the final race in Abu Dhabi in December.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
