Piastri Warns 2027 F1 Changes Need More Than Split Shift — Max Verstappen Decision Sabbatical
Oscar Piastri said the max verstappen decision sabbatical talk around Formula 1’s 2027 power unit plan is only part of the story. The McLaren driver called the agreement in principle a step in the right direction, but said the sport will not get a full fix without different hardware.
Piastri on the 2027 split
The proposed change would move the ICE and electrical power ratio away from 50:50 and toward 60:40 in favor of the internal combustion engine. It has not yet been officially voted through, even after the FIA said ahead of the Miami Grand Prix that relevant parties had reached agreement over a change to the power unit.
Piastri’s view was blunt. “I think it’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not the fix,” he said ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. He added, “No matter what the split is, you’re going to have these troubles with opening a qualifying lap, getting the battery in the right level.”
McLaren and qualifying pressure
That leaves the practical problem where drivers feel it most: at the start of a qualifying lap, when battery and turbo boost pressure balance have to line up cleanly. Piastri said there is no easy answer inside the current framework. “There’s not really a solution to that, apart from changing hardware,” he said.
He went further on the limits of any ratio tweak. Even with engines split 80:20 or 85:15, he said, some circuits still did not allow full deployment everywhere. “So that’s really the only full fix, but it is a step in the right direction if we do that,” he said.
Miami Grand Prix context
The timing matters because Piastri arrives at Miami still waiting on a win since the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, a 14-race stretch without finishing first. Asked whether that wait has tested his patience, he answered: “Not always. I mean, we’re close.”
That is the complication inside the optimism. McLaren has been near the front in recent races, but Piastri said the team has not quite nailed the perfect performance. Until the power unit vote is made official, the 2027 plan remains a proposal; if it does go through, the split change would help, but Piastri is making clear it will not solve every qualifying problem on its own.
