Ahead of the F1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park this weekend, home hero Oscar Piastri has signed a multi-year contract extension with McLaren F1, with Zak Brown and Andrea Stella also giving their reactions to the deal. The F2 and F3 champion’s previous deal took him through to the end of 2026.
2025 marks the 23-year-old’s third season in the sport, all with the Woking-based team following that incredible saga with Alpine. McLaren won the tussle for his services and it has proven to be the right journey for Piastri.
In 2023, the driver from Melbourne took his first Sprint win at the Qatar GP, holding off Max Verstappen. It came after his first Grand Prix rostrum at the Japanese event two weeks previously.
The big moments of his F1 career to date came in 2024, however.
A first Grand Prix win soured by his team
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri took his first win in F1 as McLaren secured a 1-2 in Budapest. Unfortunately, it was soured by the messy situation the team put the drivers in.
After Piastri had a very strong first half of the race in the lead, a mistake at turn 11 cost him a couple of seconds. McLaren boxed Norris to fend off any potential undercut threat from Lewis Hamilton.
This meant the Brit got in front, but the Aussie was reassured he would get the spot back. After lots of radio chatter, Norris did it give back with three laps to go as he had unleashed his speed in the final stint.
Piastri won, but it has to be said McLaren have had better days managing their drivers.
Baku brilliance
At the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri was magnificent as he claimed his second career win with McLaren. A quite simply brilliant pass on Charles Leclerc at the start of the hard tyre stint into turn 1 opened up the opportunity to take P1.
From there, he held off the Monegasque driver who looked to be the driver to beat all weekend. Piastri showed no signs of cracking despite the relentless pressure.
Last December the driver from Melbourne and teammate Lando Norris won the Constructors’ Championship for McLaren at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. It was the team’s first title on the teams’s side since 1998 as Andrea Stella and Zak Brown led the squad back to glory.
Oscar Piastri
“It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision. The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible.
“There are so many talented and special people working at MTC who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career. Therefore, I’m very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come.
“I’m excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year’s fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.”
Andrea Stella
“Further extending our partnership with Oscar is a symbol of our belief and trust in him as adriver, as well as a reflection of our shared ambition to continue in our fight for Championships together.
“It has been a pleasure working with Oscar throughout the past two seasons and he has continued to prove how impressive he is in terms of his talent, determination and work ethic as a driver and his contribution to our team and culture as a person.
“Alongside Lando, we have what we need locked in for the long term to keep pushing forward.
“I look forward to continuing to watch Oscar grow and develop as a driver and know that many successes lie ahead for him.”
Zak Brown
“It’s fantastic to confirm Oscar’s extension with McLaren. Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his timein papaya.
“We’ve got the best driver line-up on the grid, and in the past two seasons, we’ve seen how much of an asset to the team Oscar is both on and off track. He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 Constructors’ Championship last season, so we’re all excited to see what we can do in the years to come as we continue to fight for World Championships together.”
