Oscar Piastri scolds F1 for being at mercy of “computers behaving or misbehaving”

Oscar Piastri has launched a scathing attack on Formula 1’s 2026 engine regulations, claiming that grids are now being decided by “computers behaving or misbehaving”. 

The Australian has joined a growing host of drivers complaining about the behaviour of their car’s power units across the recent British and Belgian grand prix weekends. 

F1’s 2026 power units came under fire once more at the power-sensitive Spa-Francorchamps, which drivers felt was no longer as special or enjoyable to drive, particularly over a qualifying lap. 

Piastri was left frustrated after qualifying seventh at Spa and complained about a significant lack of power down the straights compared to his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, who was third-fastest but started 13th due to a grid penalty. 

"It sucks. I can't really say it any other way than that,” Piastri said after finishing fifth in Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. 

”I certainly wouldn't have been the only person. I know George has had a lot of issues with that this weekend, and maybe the last couple of weekends. And speaking to some others, it's a similar story.

"So, you know, when you've got qualifying grids decided by computers behaving or misbehaving, it's a pretty crap way of going racing.

"Here it's obviously exaggerated a lot and made worse, but yeah, when you come in from a qualifying session, you look at all the corners and go, ‘I'm on par with my team-mate and yet I'm two tenths behind at the end of it’. It's not a very nice feeling.”

Reigning world champion Norris echoed Piastri’s criticism in Belgium, stating that drivers are being held back by their power units. 

"It's got nothing to do with you as a driver, really. Sometimes it does and we're talking about being a few metres early on the button or whatever,” he explained. 

"It just makes a big difference at times, but there are certain things within your control and a lot of things, way too many things, that are out of your control.

"It's a shame that there's so many things that can dictate your own pace in qualifying. It's not down to the driver. It's just down to hoping you get lucky that the power unit does what it should do and doesn't do something silly.”

Worryingly, there is not a short-term fix in sight, according to Piastri. 

"It's all to do with just how the systems manage things,” he added. “The change in fuel flow and the less deployment are not going to fix those specific issues. It has to do with how the engine is calibrated, how the engine learns, it's kind of ingrained into these engines.

"Obviously it will get better as all the manufacturers understand the engines more. It's not just a problem for us or Mercedes, it's a problem with all the engines, speaking to some of the other drivers. But the fact that it's even a problem is pretty annoying for more than just myself."