Piastri hailed as driver of the year over Verstappen, Mercedes teases 2026 PU sound

Sky Sports pundit Bernie Collins has named Oscar Piastri, not Max Verstappen or Lando Norris, as her driver of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Meanwhile, Mercedes has released an audio teaser of its 2026 power unit, offering a first glimpse into the sound of the sport's next technical era.

Why it matters:

Collins's selection highlights a season where raw championship results didn't tell the full story of driver performance. Piastri's explosive start and mid-season championship lead, despite ultimately finishing third, showcased a peak performance that experts deemed the benchmark. Separately, Mercedes' audio tease marks a significant step toward the 2026 regulation overhaul, signaling the intense development race already underway among manufacturers for the next competitive cycle.

The details:

• Piastri's Season: The McLaren driver won four of the first six races and built a 34-point lead by the Dutch Grand Prix. However, a post-summer break slump saw him fail to win again, finishing the season 13 points behind champion teammate Lando Norris and third in the standings.
• Expert Opinions: Collins's view contrasted with other Sky Sports analysts. Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok, along with Ted Kravitz and Simon Lazenby, all selected reigning champion Max Verstappen as their driver of the year.
• Mercedes' 2026 Teaser: The audio clip provides the first public hint of Mercedes' next-generation power unit. The 2026 regulations mandate a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electric power, accompanied by smaller cars and active aerodynamics on both front and rear wings.

The big picture:

The debate over the season's top driver underscores the subjective nature of such awards beyond the final points table. For Mercedes, the teaser is a statement of intent as it seeks to reclaim its dominance after struggling throughout the ground-effect era, a stark contrast to its eight consecutive constructors' titles from 2014-2021. The sound of the new PU offers an early, symbolic start to a technical revolution that aims to reset the competitive order.

What's next:

All eyes turn to 2026, where the new regulations promise a major shake-up. Mercedes' development progress will be closely watched as teams prepare their challengers. For Piastri and McLaren, the focus will be on converting a season of standout performances into a sustained title challenge, ensuring the strong first half of 2025 becomes the standard, not an anomaly.