Racing
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Mark Webber believes Oscar Piastri can still fight for the 2026 Formula 1 world championship, despite the McLaren driver letting a major chance slip away late last year and then failing to complete a race lap in either of the opening two rounds this season.
Speaking to RN365, Webber pointed to the level Piastri reached in 2025 as proof that a title run is realistic. After converting pole into victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, Piastri had seven wins for the season and led the standings by 34 points over McLaren teammate Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen 104 points back.
That position did not hold. The final third of the campaign turned sharply against Piastri as Verstappen forced his way back into contention and Norris ultimately took the championship, while Verstappen finished only two points short of a fifth consecutive title. Piastri, who had looked the long-time favorite, managed only three podiums in the last nine races after a retirement in Baku, four straight races without a podium and a disqualification in Las Vegas.
Piastri later described that first real title fight as mentally difficult as well as motivating. On the High Performance podcast, the McLaren driver said it was "a double-edged sword" because when he felt he had the best car, even second place could seem like "a bad weekend" if it meant he had been beaten by his teammate. He said he had to remind himself, "Calm down, because there is still a very long way to go," adding: "What happened afterwards proved me right, unfortunately."
The start of 2026 only deepened the setback. Piastri completed no race laps in the first two Grands Prix, first after making a mistake on the formation lap in Australia, then when technical problems with Mercedes' new power unit prevented both McLaren drivers from starting in China. That left him sixth in the standings, already 57 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli.
Webber said the opening blow should not define Piastri's season. He noted that Piastri answered with second place at Suzuka and third in Miami, and said the recovery in Japan was "a phenomenal performance." Webber also made clear he sees the bigger factor as McLaren's ability to improve its car over the course of the year.
"I have full confidence in the team," Webber said, backing McLaren to get the car back to Mercedes' level and "fight again for the world title." For Piastri, that leaves the championship picture dependent not only on how he responds to an early collapse in momentum, but on whether McLaren can turn a damaged start into a car capable of putting him back in the fight.