Piastri raises energy deployment concerns ahead of wet-weather Miami GP

Piastri has already suffered an unexpected power surge, when he crashed on his way to the grid at his home Australian GP during the 2026 season, so will be extra eager to avoid a repeat on Sunday's race in Miami. The first US race of the season is expected to feature heavy rain, with an FIA Rain Hazard having already been declared amid fears of thunder and lightning. The Grand Prix has also been moved back three hours in a bid to avoid the worst of the weather.

After a strong McLaren one-two finish in the Sprint Race was followed by a disappointing P4 and P7 for Lando Norris and Piastri, respectively, the Aussie faces a tough challenge to fight for podium places in harsh conditions. And with little to no running in the wet for most of the teams so far in 2026, the 25-year-old certainly knows it.

When asked on the prospect of driving the 2026 cars, splitting electrical power and internal combustion by 50:50, in wet weather conditions, Piastri said: “It's going to be interesting one way or another."

While Piastri said he doesn't feel the challenge of driving his MCL40 will be too different between wet and dry conditions, he raised the power being "in a computer's hands" as cause for potential concern.

Reflecting on McLaren's disappointing qualifying, the Aussie suggested that the papaya team had failed to maximise performance as well as other teams, surprised by a step up from the likes of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

“I think everyone else maximised what they had a lot more. For us, it was a big surprise to not see Mercedes be quick yesterday and this morning [in the sprint]. And seeing Kimi on pole, by that much, is more what we expected," Piastri said.