McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri has spoken about how being a Mercedes customer team could impact the papaya team’s chances of being at the top of the competitive order in 2026.
The upcoming 2026 campaign will be the first to take place under the new set of regulations, which include a complete overhaul of F1’s power unit rules.
Luckily for McLaren, they continue to operate in the pinnacle of motorsport as a Mercedes customer team, and their 2026 challenger (the MCL40) will be powered by a new Mercedes power unit.
The last set of major regulation changes came in 2014 when the hybrid power unit was first introduced. The Silver Arrows dominated this era and picked up eight consecutive championships and seven drivers’ titles between 2014 and 2021, so they have naturally been tipped as the favourites to master the new rules once again in 2026.
