As of the2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Piastri has achieved nine race wins, five pole positions, eight fastest laps, and 24 podiums in Formula One. Piastri is contracted to remain at McLaren until at least the end of the 2028 season.
Early life
Piastri was sponsored by his father's company,HP Tuners, throughout hisjunior formulae career.
Oscar Jack Piastri was born on 6 April 2001 inMelbourne, Victoria, Australia.[3] His father, Chris Piastri, is the founder and owner ofHP Tuners, anautomotive software company; the company sponsored hisjunior formulae career with up toA$6.5 million.[4] He served as Piastri'skart mechanic as he contestednational championships in Australia.[5] His mother, Nicole Piastri (née MacFadyen), helped raise him in the suburb ofBrighton with his three younger sisters—Hattie, Edie, and Mae.[6] He claimsItalian,Yugoslavian, andChinese heritage from his father, as well asScottish andIrish from his mother.[7] Hisbedtime stories frequently consisted of automotive books, prompting his father to buy him aradio-controlled car on a business trip when he was six, which he began racing in his backyard.[3]
Piastri began racing competitively aged nine withRemote Control Racing Australia, winning the secondary class of the national championship before moving intokart racing.[8][9] Aged 14, he moved with his father—who returned to Melbourne six months later—toHertford, England, to continue his international racing career in Europe.[3] Having been privately educated atHaileybury, he moved toits sister school inHertford Heath—whosealumni includeStirling Moss—as aboarding pupil on asports scholarship.[10][11] By the end of 2015, Piastri began travelling for karting tests and competitions between Italy, France, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, and Portugal fromStansted Airport, costing his father around£250,000.[4] In2019, he was taken under the wing of nine-time Grand Prix winnerMark Webber and his wife, Ann; the former has served as hismanager since and negotiated his move to Formula One.[12]
Junior racing career
Karting (2011–2016)
2011–2015: State titles in Australia
Following his successes inradio-controlled racing, Piastri moved intokart racing in 2011 at the localOakleigh Go Kart Racing Club (OGKRC) inClayton South, aged 10.[13][9] Aprotégé of two-time Australian Champion James Sera,[8] he began competing for the club that year in anFA Kart chassis.[5][14] He won his first title two years later: the 2013CIK Stars of Karting in the Rookies class.[5][15] In 2014, he won the OGKRC Championship,City of Melbourne Titles,South Australian Championship, and National Sprint Classic Champion of Champions in Junior Clubman—he claimed aA$500 prize for the latter.[16][17][18] He further claimed runner-up in the Australian National Sprint Championship and theVictorian Championship, before progressing tointernational competition in theIAME International Final atLe Mans; he finished third on his debut in X30 Junior from twenty-first on thegrid.[19] He closed his national career with third in theKF3 Australian Championship—where he was ranked theTop Qualifier—as well as victory in the Victorian Championship, OGKRC's Junior Top Guns, theGold Coast Race of Stars, and the City of Melbourne Titles again in 2015.[20][21]
2015–2016: Move to the European scene
I knew it was a necessary step if I wanted to have a chance to make it to Formula One; you can't become a Formula One driver by staying in Australia.
With the support of Sera andtalent scout Rob McIntyre, Piastri moved to compete inEurope from 2015 onwards withKosmic.[22][8]Vroomkart later contrasted his career path to that ofAyrton Senna, having both progressed from RC racing to European karting after a transcontinental move.[23] InKF-Junior, he claimed twelfth in theEuropean Championship round atPortimão—where he finished twenty-sixth overall—and entered one round of theWSK Super Master Series.[24][21] In 2016, he returned to Australia to claim his third successive City of Melbourne Titles.[20] In Europe, he joinedRicky Flynn Motorsport inOK-Junior,[21] where he finished tenth in the South Garda Winter Cup, twelfth in the WSK Super Master Series, and eighth in theWSK Final Cup.[24][25] Back-to-backpodiums at Portimão saw him claim sixteenth in the European Championship.[26][27] He qualified fourth for theWorld Championship atSakhir after winning hisheat; his pre-final saw him drop to eighteenth before recovering to finish sixth overall in his final karting appearance.[28][29]
Formula 4 (2016–2017)
2016–2017: Junior formulae debut in the UAE
Following his sixth-place at theKarting World Championship inOK-Junior, Piastri made hisjunior formulae debut in the second round of theFormula 4 UAE Championship atYas Marina with Dragon F4;[30] in a nine-driver field, he claimed sixth, fifth, fourth, and fifth on debut.[31][32] He then scored a pair of fourth-places atDubai before claiming two podiums on his return to Yas Marina—his final appearance in the series, ending the season sixth overall having contested 11 of 18 races.[32][33][13]
Piastri moved to theF4 British Championship for2017 withArden,[34] owned byChristian Horner—who later revealed he turned down the chance to sign Piastri to theRed Bull Junior Team.[35] He opened his campaign with two podiums atBrands Hatch,[36] which he repeated in the third race atDonington Park, marred by the accident ofBilly Monger.[37][38] After another podium atThruxton,[39] he claimed his maiden F4 victory in the second race atOulton Park to move second in the championship.[40][41] Podiums in each race atCroft and two victories frompole position each atSnetterton andKnockhill consolidated his position.[42][43] He came under pressure fromLogan Sargeant after two retirements atRockingham.[44] A triple podium atSilverstone, including victory in the final race, extended his advantage,[45][46] before he clinched the runner-up spot to the second-yearJamie Caroline with top-five finishes at Brands Hatch.[47] He closed the season on 376.5 points—20.5 ahead of Sargeant and 65.5 behind Caroline—with six victories from 15 podiums and six pole positions.[48] He later credited "learning from [his] mistakes in F4" as his greatest lesson injunior formulae.[49]
Piastri remained withArden for hisEurocup debut in2018.[54] After claiming sixth and fifth on debut atPaul Ricard,[55][56] he scored no points atMonza, including a retirement.[57] He finished fourth in the second race atSilverstone before dropping outside of the points again inMonaco.[58][59] Following his sixth- and ninth-placed finishes at theRed Bull Ring,[60] Piastri achieved his maiden podium finish atSpa-Francorchamps with third in the opening race.[61] Back-to-back points at theHungaroring extended his run of points finishes to six races,[62] which ended in the first race at theNürburgring; he claimed seventh in race two.[63] With podiums in both races at theHockenheimring—finishing third and second—he surpassedAlex Peroni for eighth in the championship,[64] which he retained amidst non-scoring races at the season-endingBarcelona-Catalunya round.[65] He closed his campaign with 110 points—165.5 behind championMax Fewtrell—and three podiums.[65][66]
2019: Maiden title
Piastri won the Eurocup in2019 amidst a title battle withVictor Martins, his first junior championship.
Piastri—now competingunder a British licence—joined reigning championsR-ace GP for the2019 Eurocup.[67][68] His campaign opened with eighteenth and fourth atMonza.[57] He took his maiden victory frompole position in the first race atSilverstone, which he repeated in the second.[69] He claimed fourth and fifth inMonaco,[70] before returning to the podium with second atPaul Ricard, where he finished sixth in race two.[71] He closedVictor Martins's championship lead to two points with victory in the opening race atSpa-Francorchamps and levelled the standings with his fourth-place in race two.[72][73] He opened a 40-point advantage by winning both races at theNürburgring from pole.[74][75] Aformation lap crash at theHungaroring afteraquaplaning reduced the gap by 12.5 points with Martins's victory,[note 2] which he mitigated by winning the second race from pole.[62] Martins closed his lead to 5.5 points with three consecutive wins from pole at the penultimateBarcelona-Catalunya andHockenheimring rounds as Piastri finished fifth, third, and second, the latter after an early battle for the lead—his second-place in race two extended it by eight.[77][78] AtYas Marina, Piastri held off the late advances of Martins to win the opening race, meaning he would clinch the title by finishing seventh or higher in the final race, irrespective of other results.[79] With fourth-place, Piastri clinched his firstjunior formulae championship by 7.5 points to Martins, having achieved seven wins from 11 podiums and five pole positions.[80][77] Bruce Williams ofAuto Action described it as a "a considerable step towards a Formula One career".[81]
AtSpa-Francorchamps, Sargeant extended his lead to seven points over Piastri—who claimed fifth and sixth, the latter after a penalty for an illegal overtake onRichard Verschoor—with his sprint victory.[61][99] Piastri reclaimed the lead at the penultimateMonza round, where he climbed from fifteenth to third in the feature; he retired from the sprint after a collision withClément Novalak andDavid Schumacher atVariante del Rettifilo, which was neutralised by Sargeant's late crash with Vesti.[57][100] Eight points above Sargeant and 24 above theART ofThéo Pourchaire into the season-endingMugello round,[101] Piastri—carrying over a five-placegrid penalty for forcingDavid Beckmann off-track—lined up sixteenth on the featuregrid;[102] unable to score points in eleventh, he entered the sprint tied with Sargeant—who started fifth—and nine points clear of Pourchaire in eighth.[103] Sargeant was eliminated in a first-lap collision with Zendeli atLuco as Piastri passed four drivers, including Pourchaire, for seventh.[104] Pourchaire reclaimed the position on thesafety car restart, but was unable to close the gap with his podium as Piastri clinched seventh and the title.[105] He closed his campaign on 164 points—three ahead of Pourchaire and four ahead of Sargeant—with two victories from six podiums.[106] He credited improvements in his racecraft with helping him deal with the increased competition and subsequently became a Formula Onetest driver forRenault.[107][108]
After ending fourth and seventh in theMonza sprints, Piastri won the feature from pole in a battle with Zhou, which he repeated atSochi withThéo Pourchaire.[57][125] He took two further victories atJeddah: he won the second sprint and the feature from pole, the latter being aborted in the wake of severalred flag incidents.[126] His fifth consecutive pole atYas Island saw him start tenth in the first sprint, where he claimed third in a late battle with teammate and runner-up Shwartzman to clinch the title;[127][128] he closed the season with his record fourth successive feature victory.[129] Across his campaign, Piastri took 252.5 points—60.5 ahead of Shwartzman—with six wins from 11 podiums and five pole positions.[130][131] He became the sixth driver in history to win theGP2/F2 title in their rookie season,[note 7] the third to win theGP3/F3 and GP2/F2 titles in successive seasons,[note 8] and the first to winFormula Renault,Formula Three, andFormula Two—or equivalent—championships in successive seasons.[13] He was namedFIA Rookie of the Year for his efforts in 2021,[134] stating "[he had] done basically everything [he] could [to prove himself]".[135]
After hisFIA Formula 2 title victory, Piastri was appointed the reserve driver ofAlpine for their2022 campaign, amidst links to anAlfa Romeo move;[138] he was also made available in the role forMcLaren following an agreement between the two teams.[139] He completed around 3,000 km (1,900 mi) of further private tests in the A521 throughout the season—part of an "intense" training programme.[140][141] Prior to theSão Paulo Grand Prix, he completed a private two-day test for McLaren atPaul Ricard in theMCL35M, before entering post-season testing in theMCL36;[142] he conducted his final rookie test with the team across two days atBarcelona-Catalunya.[143]
2022 contract dispute
Alpine falsely claimed Piastri had signed for them in 2022, leading to a widely publicised contract dispute.
In June 2022, Piastri was offered aseat withWilliams for2023 on a two-yearloan from Alpine, who were expected to retainEsteban Ocon andFernando Alonso.[144] In August, Alonso announced that he would replace the retiringSebastian Vettel atAston Martin.[145] Alpine then announced that Piastri would be his replacement, in apress release absent of comments from Piastri himself.[146] He rejected their announcement two hours later viaTwitter, stating that he had not signed a contract and would not be driving for them in 2023.[147] Team principalOtmar Szafnauer criticised his actions and "integrity as a human being", stating that he expected loyalty from Piastri and further threatened to take legal action.[148][149] It soon emerged that Piastri was instead in talks withMcLaren.[150]
I understand that, without my agreement,Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
—Piastri viaTwitter, denying the Alpine press release two hours later[147]
A hearing of theFIA Contract Recognition Board (CRB) commenced four weeks later to determine whether Piastri was contracted to Alpine, or if he was afree agent—victory for Alpine could have obligated Piastri to either fulfil the contract for 2023, or required an interested team to activate arelease clause for his services.[151] Prior to theDutch Grand Prix, the CRB ruled against Alpine, followed by an immediate announcement that Piastri would instead join McLaren.[152] In their final judgment, the CRB revealed that Piastri had signed his McLaren contract almost a month prior to the Alpine announcement—4 July, the day after theBritish Grand Prix.[153] He was initially only guaranteed a reserve role, prior to the termination ofDaniel Ricciardo in the week before the CRB hearing.[154] Piastri later claimed a "breakdown in trust" between him and Alpine was behind his decision to leave.[155]
Piastri finished second inBelgium after a disqualification forGeorge Russell, promoting him to fourth in the standings—ahead of Sainz—before finishing fourth at theDutch Grand Prix.[200][201] He led the majority of theItalian Grand Prix after a first-lap overtake on Norris, before a strategic error saw him finish second to theone-stop of Leclerc.[202] Qualifying second to Leclerc inAzerbaijan, Piastri claimed another victory following a race-long battle for the lead.[203] He then took third inSingapore,[204] before finishing fifth at theUnited States Grand Prix.[205] Eighth-placed finishes at theMexico City andSão Paulo Grands Prix—including second at the latter sprint after being ordered to allow Norris to win—were followed by seventh-place inLas Vegas after afalse start penalty.[206][207][208][209] Norris returned the favour at thechequered flag for theQatar Grand Prix sprint, allowing Piastri to take victory before he finished third in the main race.[210][211] He finished the season-endingAbu Dhabi Grand Prix in tenth after a first-lap collision withMax Verstappen.[212] Piastri ended the season fourth in the World Drivers' Championship on 292points—82 behind runner-up Norris—with two victories from eight podiums, helping McLaren win their firstWorld Constructors' Championship since1998.[213]
2025: Three-way title battle vs. Norris and Verstappen
Piastri (pictured at theJapanese Grand Prix) was one of the favourites ahead of the2025 World Drivers' Championship.
McLaren entered2025 as title favourites, with Piastri expected to challenge teammateLando Norris for the World Drivers' Championship.[214] Three days prior to the start of his campaign, McLaren announced a multi-year contract extension with Piastri until at least the end of the 2028 season.[1] He qualified on thefront-row for the season-openingAustralian Grand Prix, behind teammate Norris;[215] he challenged Norris for the lead before spinning in wet conditions, ultimately finishing ninth.[216] After finishing second in the sprint, he took his maidenpole position at theChinese Grand Prix, dominating the race ahead of Norris to claim his first victory of the season.[217] He finished third inJapan behindMax Verstappen and Norris.[218] Piastri took pole for theBahrain Grand Prix, cruising to a 15-second winning margin and moving within threepoints of Norris.[219] He took another victory inSaudi Arabia to become thefirst Australian to lead the World Drivers' Championship since2010.[220] He finished second in theMiami Grand Prix sprint after a latesafety car put him behind Norris, before winning the main race.[221] On pole for theEmilia Romagna Grand Prix, he finished third after a first-corner overtake by Verstappen and a strategic error.[222] He won theSpanish Grand Prix after starting on pole,[223] and finished fourth inCanada, where championship rival Norris attempted to overtake him and crashed into thepit wall to extend Piastri's lead to 22 points.[224]
Piastri finished second inAustria after a race-long battle with Norris, narrowly avoiding another collision afterlocking hisbrakes atRauch.[225] He led the majority of the wet-weatherBritish Grand Prix before receiving a penalty for inadvertentlybrake testing Verstappen on a restart, conceding the victory to Norris.[226] He finished second to Verstappen from pole in theBelgium sprint prior to his victory in the wet–dry Grand Prix, which followed an early overtake on polesitter Norris at the exit ofRaidillon.[227] He qualified second—ahead of Norris—inHungary, where Norris beat him to victory on a one-stop strategy.[228] He took pole for theDutch Grand Prix and held off Norris until his teammate's late engine failure, achieving his maidengrand chelem and increasing his advantage to 34 points.[229] Verstappen—104 points behind—re-emerged as a distant title threat inItaly, where Piastri held third until a slowpit stop for Norris elevated him to second; he was controversiallyordered to cede the position and settled for third.[230][231][232] He crashed out of qualifying inAzerbaijan; starting ninth, hejumped the start,stalled, and crashed intoTurn Five on the opening lap, recording his first retirementin 45 Grands Prix and conceding six points to Norris, as well as 25 to Verstappen.[233] First-lap contact with Norris inSingapore dropped Piastri behind him in fourth, as McLaren clinched the World Constructors' Championship with ajoint-record six remaining Grands Prix.[234]
Another first-corner collision with Norris in theUnited States sprint saw both retire after Piastri was hit byNico Hülkenberg in an attemptedswitchback on Norris for second,[235] which neutralised intra-team "repercussions" Norris was set to face after Singapore;[236] Piastri dropped to fifth in the Grand Prix as Verstappen and Norris—first and second, respectively—closed his advantage to 40 and 14 points.[237] Starting seventh and enduring a mid-race battle with bothMercedes drivers inMexico City, he finished fifth again and dropped a point behind the victorious Norris.[238] As Norris dominated inSão Paulo, Piastri crashed out of third in the sprint in drying conditions at theSenna 'S' and was penalised for colliding withKimi Antonelli—causing the retirement ofCharles Leclerc—in the Grand Prix, dropping from second to fifth.[239] He was initially classified fourth inLas Vegas before both he and Norris were disqualified forskid block wear, levelling him with race-winner Verstappen.[240]
Piastri has been noted by drivers and critics for his composure under pressure. In2023, Scott Mitchell-Malm ofThe Race compared his "relaxed intensity" to that ofMax Verstappen.[241] Upon winning the2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Luke Smith ofThe New York Times stated that "stress isn't an emotion one would associate with Piastri. His calm, collected demeanor has been present right from his junior days."[242] This quality prompted several journalists to list him as a favourite for the2025 World Drivers' Championship after theBahrain Grand Prix,[243][244][245] withMartin Brundle comparing him toAlain Prost.[246] Andrew Benson ofBBC Sport stated "combining consistent speed [with] mental solidity and racing decisiveness [makes him] a formidable rival".[247] After winning theSaudi Arabian Grand Prix, title rival Verstappen stated "he's very calm in his approach, and I like that. [...] He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes—and that's what you need when you want to fight for a championship".[248] As his title battle with teammateLando Norris emerged,Natalie Pinkham ofTop Gear described him as "the cerebral assassin", adding that "he races like he's solving a complex puzzle at [200 mph (320 km/h)]".[249] His composed demeanour has drawn several comparisons toKimi Räikkönen, widely known asthe Iceman.[250][251][252]
Development
Piastri (pictured at the2025 Japanese Grand Prix) has been noted for his development across his debut seasons.
Piastri has also been lauded for his adaptability, with race engineerTom Stallard commending his ability to identify flaws in real-time and make improvements withoutdata analysis.[241] His ability to promptly learn from mistakes was initially noted by his engineer in theF4 UAE Championship.[24]Sky Sports describedhis rookie campaign as "very impressive", noting that histyre management required improvement.[181] He was noted for his race pace development throughout2024, as he took his maiden victories inHungary andAzerbaijan—the latter was described by Luke Smith ofThe New York Times as a "coming-of-age drive".[253][254][242] By2025, several critics opined that he had eradicated the tyre management and qualifying pace issues he experienced in his earlier seasons;[245][255][256][257] he worked closely with hisengineers to solve the former and extensively analysed his past performances to iterate upon the latter.[258][259]
Since 2018, Piastri has been in a relationship with hischildhood sweetheart, Lily Zneimer, anengineering graduate he met while studying at hissixth form in England.[265] During his early career, he lived in an apartment in proximity to the MTC inWoking,[5] before moving toMonte Carlo in 2024.[266]
Awards and honours
Piastri's Grand Prix–winning cars from top-to-bottom:MCL38 (2024) andMCL39 (2025)
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
^Victor Martins was awarded half points for his victory in race one at theHungaroring as the race was abandoned after three laps due to adverse weather conditions.[76]
^Since2017, qualifying for theMonte Carlo FIA Formula 2 round had been split into two groups; qualifying position in each group decided the startinggrid-row, with the order of each row decided by the fastest time between them.[118] Piastri qualified second in his group and, with a faster time thanDan Ticktum, was classified third overall.[119]
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