After narrowly missing out on becoming Australia’s first Formula 1 world champion in 45 years at the end of 2025, the Melburnian admitted the immediate aftermath was tough.
But time at home and the distraction of learning new cars under F1’s sweeping new regulations has helped reset his mindset heading into his fourth full season with McLaren.
Asked by Speedcafe how he was feeling after the way last season ended, Piastri said the break came at the right time.
“It was a good off-season. Nice to get back home for a few weeks and just recharge and spend some time away from race cars and the world of F1,” he said.
“But I think the off-season, or certainly the pre-season as well has been good. It’s been nice in some ways to have such a new project to focus on, or a new regulation to focus on.
“So there’s been plenty to get stuck into and there is still plenty still more to learn. But it was a nice off-season.
“Obviously the first few days straight after the race [in Abu Dhabi] were obviously difficult as you would expect.
“But I think especially once I got home and was able to spend time with my family and friends, then it was just nice to think of all the good moments that happened last year as well and not just some of the more painful ones.”
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Those “difficult” first days followed a 2025 campaign in which Piastri delivered his most complete season yet, leading the drivers’ championship for the majority of the year before ultimately falling 13 points shy of teammate Lando Norris in the standings.
Piastri explained there was no single turning point in the off-season that helped his mindset, but rather a gradual process of perspective and reflection.
“There wasn’t really a specific moment. I think it just comes with time really,” he explained.
“It just naturally kind of fades and you start to firstly focus on the good things that happened last year.
“But then this off-season was incredibly short, so you very quickly put your mind towards the future instead of the past.”
That forward focus has been sharpened by Formula 1’s sweeping 2026 regulation overhaul, which has introduced major aerodynamic and power unit changes.
Pre-season testing offered glimpses of promise for McLaren, but also exposed just how steep the learning curve remains.
“The honest answer is I have no idea,” Piastri said when asked if he could win this weekend.
“I think based off testing, we seem like we’re in the mix at the front. I certainly wouldn’t be saying that we’re the favourite to be winning and I don’t think the picture looks quite as positive for us at the moment as it did 12 months ago.
“But I think the big caveat to that for everyone is there’s so much potential still unexplored.
“I think even through testing, the amount of stuff we learned, the amount of performance we gained through six days of testing, if you had have turned up here with the car we had at the first day of testing, we’d probably be in the midfield or probably at the back to be honest.”
Piastri said he believed understanding will be the currency of success in the early phase of this new era, with teams navigating reduced downforce, altered energy deployment and a new-look overtaking dynamic.
“I’m certainly more comfortable now than I was a couple of months ago with how to drive these cars and how to try and get the most out of them,” he said.
“But I think there’s still the saying of you don’t know what you don’t know.”
He added he expected Melbourne to highlight some of the more “unnatural differences” compared to last year’s machinery, pointing to increased lift and coast and a greater emphasis on maximising the power unit.
The introduction of battery-assisted overtaking and fluctuating power levels down the straights adds further unpredictability.
“There’s a lot of unknowns and a lot of challenges in there,” he said.
“So I think it’s going to be probably an important weekend.”
Despite the lingering sting of his title miss in 2025, Piastri said he returns to his home event with pride rather than pressure, with the support only intensifying over the summer.
“It’s always cool,” he said of the opportunity to race in Melbourne.
“I think for me having your home race is really, really special. But for me, having it in my home city as well is another step up from that.
“So I think for me, it’s just pride really. And a feeling of support. I don’t think there’s any extra pressure.”
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