After the final pre-season test session in Bahrain, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri offered a cautiously optimistic assessment of the team's form heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne. Behind the wheel of the new MCL40, Piastri completed 66 laps on Friday morning, finishing third in the day's timesheets—a promising sign for a team aiming to bounce back from a challenging previous year.

'More Optimistic, But Not Leading'

In a media debrief following the session, Piastri acknowledged McLaren's solid performance over the test but stopped short of suggesting they are in title contention. "I think we're probably getting a little bit more optimistic," he said. "The testing's gone smoothly for us at least. We've been able to get a lot of laps in, learn a lot of things, both good and bad."

Facing a wave of sweeping technical regulation changes for the 2026 season, Piastri highlighted the importance of identifying what works—and what doesn't—before the first race. "You're going to try a lot of bad things alongside the good things," he explained. "I think finding out anything you can before Round 1 is always important, so I feel like we're making good progress."

Despite the encouraging lap times, Piastri remained grounded: "I wouldn't say we're leading the pack by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel like we're not too bad."

Adapting to the New Car

The Australian driver noted that adjusting to the new MCL40 has involved a steep learning curve, particularly due to major changes in driving style required by the updated technical rules. "It's definitely been a learning curve," Piastri said. "There's still some things that we need to do as drivers that are certainly very different to what we had to do last year."

He added that both drivers and teams are increasingly adapting to the new dynamics. "We're getting our heads around the new things we need to do, and as teams making accommodations for having to drive a certain way now. I think it has improved."

Piastri also pointed to subtle improvements in driving comfort and car behavior as performance has developed. "With performance, it's made some creature comforts a little bit nicer as well. I think we are making progress—let's see what Melbourne's like."

Looking Ahead to Australia

With pre-season testing now concluded, all eyes turn to the Sakhir start line and the season opener in Melbourne just days away. McLaren is hoping this renewed sense of optimism translates into consistent front-running form. While Piastri refuses to declare supremacy just yet, his positive feedback signals that the Woking squad could be in for a stronger campaign than many predicted.