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Oscar Piastri highlights 'different priorities' as McLaren faces unique scenario
Oscar Piastri has explained how, despite the "different
priorities", McLaren's engine supplier Mercedes is "trying to make
us all as quick as possible." For 2026, McLaren will be using a
supply of customer Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP)
engines, along with Alpine and Williams, as well as the works
Mercedes team. Across the Barcelona shakedown, Alpine, McLaren, and
Mercedes combined for 1,134 laps as Williams sat it out, with
McLaren and Mercedes both expecting to be in title contention. That
places McLaren in a unique scenario as it could be fighting its
engine supplier for the world championship, with other possible
contenders, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin, all either having
exclusive status or not expected to be challenged by a customer
squad. However, Piastri felt that at this stage in the development
of the power units, simply gaining mileage was the main priority,
even as different teams had "different priorities." "There is still
definitely a lot to learn, especially on the power unit side of
things," Piastri said. "Just how to get the most out of it and how
you go the fastest, but I think we understood some of the problems
and limitations, and some of the things which are just different to
last year, both on the power unit and in the car. "It's got a lot
less downforce than we had last year, so [it is about] getting used
to that, and it has been the biggest thing we've started to get
ourselves into. "The main thing for Mercedes HPP is trying to
understand the power unit as well, and we're trying to help them.
"Any information that they can get from Lando and I, is very
helpful, but even just running the power unit is very helpful for
them. "So there are a lot of things going on at once, but everyone
has got slightly different priorities, but they're trying to make
us all as quick as possible."
