Oscar Piastri, who enjoyed a dominant 2025 Formula 1 season, securing victories and finishing third overall behind Max Verstappen and teammate Lando Norris, has faced a challenging start to the 2026 season. He has missed the start of two out of the three races so far and currently sits sixth in the standings with 21 points and a single podium finish.
Celebrating his 25th birthday on Monday, Piastri expressed in a social media video his intention to utilize the upcoming April break, free of races following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, for dedicated preparation.
“Obviously, the off-season this year was very short, so this is a nice little window for everyone to get a good amount of training in. Just a bit more time to prepare, essentially. I think we’ve learned a lot from the first few races and there’s still a lot more to learn, so this just gives us more time to analyze things, sit down, digest it, and try and come back stronger for Miami.”
His McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, is also facing a tough period, currently in fifth place with 25 points. The unexpected leader of the championship is Andrea Kimi Antonelli with 72 points, having won two races, ahead of the more experienced Mercedes driver George Russell. Ferrari is currently the second strongest team, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in fourth and fifth positions respectively.