Oscar Piastri, who dominated the Formula 1 season for a large portion of last year, winning and ended up in third place after Max Verstappen and his teammate Lando Norris, champion for the first time, has had a disastrous start of the 2026 season, failing to start in two of the three races, and currently stands sixth with 21 points and only one podium.
Piastri turned 25 on Monday, and in a video on social media, he said he will take time to prepare during this month of April with no races, after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix were cancelled.
"Obviously the off-season this year was very short, so it's a nice little window for everyone to get some good training in. Just some more time to prepare, basically. I think we've learned a lot in the first few races and still plenty more to learn, so just gives us more time to analyse stuff, sit down, digest it and try and come back stronger for Miami."
His McLaren teammate Lando Norris is not faring much better, fifth with 25 points. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the unexpected leader with 72 points and having won two races, ahead of his much more experienced Mercedes' teammate George Russell. Ferrari is the second best team, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in fourth and fifth place.