Australian driver Oscar Piastri has signed a mega Formula 1 deal covering many years to stay with the McLaren team for the foreseeable future, announced just days before the season begins at Albert Park in Melbourne.
It’s a big call, just two years into his career, putting him among the likes of Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna for the number of years spent with the team.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports hours after announcing the new contract, the 23-year-old credited McLaren for giving him his start on the circuit and hopes to repay them in the coming years.
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“I think the success we’ve had together already is definitely a big part of that – I want to be in a team that’s going to be fighting for wins and championships,” Piastri said.
“I think we’ve already proven that as a team, but I think more than that, obviously, McLaren gave me my first chance to be a Formula 1 driver.
Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren. Getty
“I think just the team that was being built kind of around myself and Lando (Norris) and the team that I’m a part of is just an incredible place to be.”
Turns out, that team spirit might even be more important than many would think.
“I think even without the success, it would be a pretty easy decision,” he continued.
“But obviously, we all want to fight at the front of Formula 1, (I’m) very excited to be in papaya for many years to come.”
Extending his contract past 2026 also spans a new set of F1 regulations – so could this new deal be a sign of confidence in what McLaren has on the drawing board?
“Definitely, you look forward into the future, especially on a long-term deal,” Piastri said.
“You obviously don’t just look at where we are today. You look at what’s coming in the works and I think for me a big part of the success has been down to the people and the team at McLaren, not finding a magic bullet here or something special there. “
The team under Zak Brown is famously a “two No.1 drivers” line-up, where the team does not favour one driver over the other, which caused some angst among Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris in 2024.
When asked how that will play out in 2025, Piastri was dismissive, but not in a covert way – it genuinely didn’t seem to be something that bothered him.
“I think going into the season where we’re all starting on zero, all starting from a clean slate,” the Melbourne-born star said.
Oscar Piastri speaks with Trevor Long. Nine
“I’m going to be trying my best to make sure that I’m in a great position later in the year and try and fight for a championship.
“I think no matter which way it is it makes sense if one of us is doing better than the other to try and help out, especially if it’s a tight battle at the front.”
Focusing on the task at hand in his home city, Piastri was cautious about what might be possible at Albert Park, but had some confidence for Aussie fans.
“Obviously we don’t know what anyone’s got,” he said.
“We had a brief look into things at testing and I think we’re looking good, but you never know what everyone’s hiding at testing. This is a track that’s been pretty kind to our car in the last couple of seasons, so hopefully that can continue this year.
“But again we don’t know what our competition’s gonna be like, but I think we can expect to be somewhere near the front.”
F1 cars take to the track on Friday for practice, with the first round of the Formula 1 season gets underway with the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.
