Everything that goes on at McLaren goes beyond the numbers. Oscar Piastri has been proving throughout the year, in these first nine races, that his bid for the title is very different from Norris’s, which has not gone unnoticed by anyone at McLaren.
Oscar Piastri, on his way to becoming a champion
The Englishman has already stated that he will not think about the trophy “until the middle of the year,” as it would not make sense to do so before then. Meanwhile, Piastri is making the most of every opportunity: he did so by winning in China, Saudi Arabia, Miami (three consecutive wins), and most recently in Monaco.
And the best thing is that he has broken another statistic: in Barcelona, he has equaled the eight consecutive podium finishes in McLaren’s history, alongside Ayrton Senna (1988) and Hamilton (2007). In other words, except for his home race in Melbourne, at the Australian Grand Prix, he has paradoxically finished on the podium in every race in the current championship.
The Australian McLaren driver is confirmed as the man of the moment. He now has a total of five wins in 2025 and is firmly at the top of the drivers’ standings. So much so that while Lando Norris seemed to be the favorite at the start, or at least had the ‘banner’ to be the favorite in 2025 to take the title, it is his teammate who has come out on top. After the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, he is now 10 points ahead of Norris.
Of course, compared to 2024, when Piastri played a supporting role to his teammate Norris, the McLaren team has taken an impressive step forward this season. Instead of fighting for a place in the top five, as it did at the beginning of last year, McLaren is undoubtedly the dominant force this season.
Previously, especially last season, Oscar had struggled with tyre management in races, but team boss Stella now believes this is an important area where the Australian has improved to become far superior in races. This is one of the driver’s great strengths, which means he is no longer just a strong contender for the title, but is now seen as the main contender to take the trophy.
Piastri already showed flashes of his class in the lower categories. Between 2019 and 2021, he won three titles in a row: Eurocup Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 (the latter two as a rookie). However, in 2022, he was left on the sidelines. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon were then the starters at Alpine: “I am the F2 champion and I will have to watch the races this year from the sofa,” he complained.
No pressure and no nerves
Some time later, almost in parallel, the Australian had reached an agreement on his own with the McLaren team, with whom he had already done simulation work, meaning that Oscar would accompany Lando Norris in 2023. After legal wrangling, a competent body validated Piastri’s contract with McLaren ahead of Alpine’s, with the French team limiting themselves to requesting financial compensation for the money invested in the Australian’s training.
Oscar Piastri was destined to reach F1, and 2023 was the year he was able to make his debut, but not with Alpine, the team he had been linked to and from which he dramatically broke away, but with McLaren, where he arrived with the task of making people forget Daniel Ricciardo’s unsuccessful spell. And he succeeded. From less to more, he achieved two podiums, a lot of strength, and a lot of grit. From his first day in an F1 car, it was clear that, in addition to his great defensive driving and his speed on Saturdays and in races, his grit and a certain coolness are what make him achieve his great results.
And the truth is that the script seemed to repeat itself race after race in 2024, with Norris and Piastri very close to each other, but with the Briton slightly faster, which ended up distancing him when the checkered flag came out. This did not prevent Oscar from taking advantage of his opportunities, such as the Monaco Grand Prix, which was his first podium of the season and the third of his short career.
The fact is that you can get to know a driver better by analyzing his reaction in defensive maneuvers than in offensive ones. In other words, it is easier to lose your nerve under pressure from a rival than when you are the one on the offensive. In Oscar Piastri’s case, the Australian seems to drive with one hand, almost unflinching.
“I’m not a robot either.”
Regardless of whether he has to overtake Max Verstappen, the leading driver in the F1 World Championship for the last five years, or whether it is the Dutchman who pushes him off the track to take his position.
The latter scenario was what we saw on Sunday at Montmeló, where Piastri made the most of the pole position he secured on Saturday to claim his fifth victory of the season and further extend his lead at the top of the points table. “I’ve been emotional a couple of times in my career; when those emotions are negative, they have a negative impact.
There are also positive emotions that are there. I think it’s natural to be calm and try to be relaxed, but there’s also a lot of conscious effort involved,“ he said after winning his second race of the year in Bahrain.
”They say I’m boring… but I’m not a robot either. I have ups and downs. It takes less effort than others to control them, but everyone is different. In China, I said that if they had had a camera to see my face, they would have seen that I was quite excited. There’s probably more going on under the helmet that you can’t see. But that’s how I approach it,“ he added. He also reveals that he doesn’t even share everything he feels with his team: ”The radio is a button for a reason. And you use it when you think you should.”
He began his career with FA KART, owned by Fernando Alonso
Above all, throughout his great career, Piastri has fond memories of all the moments. And some of them he shared with Alonso. He worked with the Spaniard during his time at Alpine, but also when he was taking his first steps in motor racing.
“Working closely with Fernando when I was a reserve driver was very inspiring. It’s strange to be competing against him now. I learned a lot from him, about what it takes to be a leader in the team. Someone who has been at the top of this sport for more than 20 years, it was incredible to see him,” explained the young driver, who is having an outstanding 2025 season, in 2023.
The current World Championship leader began his career in karting with FA Kart, owned by Fernando Alonso. Piastri had his first taste of an FA kart at the age of nine at a local circuit in Melbourne. His father, Chris Piastri, bought the FA kart for him shortly after his first experience. Piastri competed with FA Kart in various competitions, including the Australian Karting Championship, before moving on to Formula 1.
A few years later, after winning every title in his path, he not only shares the track with Alonso, but is also set to make history. At the age he is today, 24, the Spaniard was crowned world champion 20 years ago. And, to top it all off, Oscar was born in April 2001, a month after Alonso made his F1 debut on March 4 of that same year in Australia. The rest, as they say, is history.