Oscar Piastri prepares for the season opener in his home town of Melbourne for the first time in his F1 career as the chance of rain threatens to shake up the Australian GP for the McLaren driver and his 19 competitors.
On Tuesday, it was announced Oscar Piastri would extend his tenure with McLaren F1, ensuring his place in Papaya under a ‘multi-year’ contract. It will take him through until at least 2028.
An easy decision to stay at McLaren, says Piastri
Talking to Sky Sports in Melbourne on Wednesday, the Australian driver admitted it was an ‘easy decision’ to remain with the team, detailing the trust the team and driver have in each other.
“I think so, yeah [that they can go and win more championship together].
“For me it was a very easy decision to want to extend with McLaren and I think it was the same from the other side, so I’m very excited to be in Papaya for many years to come.”
Coming off of a great year for both the team and Piastri, 2025 presents an opportunity for both to put themselves in the running for the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championships.
The rumoured edge McLaren have on the field
Despite rumours throughout pre-season testing that McLaren still seemed to be the fastest car, with some teams even saying their advantage seems to be larger than 2024, Piastri denies that the title fight is solely going to be between the two McLaren drivers.
He said “I think it’s a bit far-fetched” to assume McLaren will have a large advantage this weekend and throughout the campaign.
“It’s going to be a really tight season. We had a good test in Bahrain, but you never know what everyone else is hiding. You never know who’s got what until we get to this weekend.”
“I’m expecting it to be just as tight as it was at the end of last season, but hopefully we can be in the mix from round 1.“
The expectations for his home race in a very fast car
Although Alan Jones was the first and only Australian to win the home Grand Prix in 1980, it was not officially part of the Formula 1 Championship at the time. Because of this, technically an Australian driver has never won their home Grand Prix. In fact since the race moved to Albert Park, no home hero has finished on the podium. Daniel Ricciardo was stripped of P2 post-race in 2014.
Oscar Piastri noted how ‘incredibly special’ being on the top step in Melbourne would be.
“It would be incredibly special, as a driver you want to win your home race. It’s been a long time coming for an Aussie.
“So hopefully we’ve got a good chance, but we’ll find out through the weekend what our pace is like.”
There is a threat of rain across the weekend and when asked how it could change the odds come the Grand Prix, the 23-year-old says it could easily change with his home city’s temperamental climate.
“Who knows. Let’s see what the weather’s going to do. Saturday is looking very hot, Sunday is looking pretty wet at the moment. But knowing Melbourne it could be the complete opposite by the time we get there.
“If it is wet that’ll certainly spice things up but I’ll believe it when I see it.“
Outperformed by his teammate in 2024, Oscar Piastri is looking to show he has what it takes not just to beat Lando Norris but also win an F1 World Championship. Clearly. He is aiming for a strong start with a home victory on Sunday afternoon.
