Biography

• The early years

  Most drivers begin by racing rental karts, but Oscar started on an even smaller scale, with the Australian initially embarking on a career in competitive Remote-Control Racing. He raced RC cars on a national stage, winning the second class of a national championship at the age of nine – the driver who came second was eight years his elder.

  He and his father were introduced to go-karts by a fellow competitor, and despite spinning on his out-lap, Oscar had his own within a week. After hanging up his handset, Oscar became a leading light of the Australian Karting Scene in the middle of the last decade, finishing second in the 2014 Australian National Sprint Kart Championship (Junior Clubman Class), and then third in the 2015 Australian Kart Championship, KF3 class. 

  Within three years, he took the difficult decision to move to Europe on his own to pursue a career in motorsport. Aged 14, he relocated to Hertford in England and signed with Ricky Flynn Motorsport - who had previously led Lando to multiple karting titles.

• Unlocking his potential

  Finishing as British Formula 4 vice-champion in 2017, Oscar's breakthrough campaign came in 2019… Across three seasons, Oscar grabbed the Road to F1 by the scruff of the neck, smashing several records on his way to becoming the first driver to win Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2 consecutively.

  After winning Formula Renault Eurocup with seven wins and 11 podiums, COVID-19 delayed his Formula 3 debut by several months and shortened the season to a brutal nine rounds in 11 weeks. Piastri was one of nine different race winners from 18 races, taking two victories and a further four podiums for PREMA Racing, clinching the title in a tense season finale.

  He did this despite never taking pole, instead relying on astute tyre management, raw pace and consistency. The latter of those is arguably his strongest, most defining attribute – he finished outside of the points just three times.

• Honing his craft

  Earning promotion into F2 with PREMA, Piastri used the familiarity and continuity of that relationship to focus on improving his Qualifying in pre-season. His efforts were rewarded as he became the first driver in F2 to take five consecutive pole positions, from Round 4 in Silverstone to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

  His F2 title win was much more cut and dry than F3, with six wins and a further five podiums, Oscar clinched the crown emphatically with two races to spare. As with his previous two championship successes, his consistency shone through – he scored 14 top-fives from 23 races, at least one podium every round, and only finished out of the points four times.

  With no F1 vacancy for Piastri in 2022 and due to regulations preventing the F2 Drivers' Champion from returning to compete again, Oscar remained active as the Reserve Driver for the Alpine F1 team, which included test days and race attendance.

• Switching to McLaren

  After joining McLaren in late 2022, Oscar officially linked up with the team at the end of the F1 season to begin an extensive preparation programme, which included the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test and private tests. He opted to run #81 on his McLaren car, his number in karting.

  For all of the excitement surrounding his arrival, few expected Oscar to enjoy quite so much success in his debut season. However, he could hardly have been faced a more difficult start as technical troubles forced him into a disappointing retirement on his debut in the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix.

  Patience was required as the team waited on a key upgrade for the MCL60, but Oscar still managed to get his first Q3 appearance in the second round of the season at Saudi Arabia, before scoring his first points in front of a home crowd in Australia in Round 3.

• Rookie sensation

  The highly anticipated upgrade was bolted onto his car ahead of the British Grand Prix, and he stunned the field by qualifying third and finishing fourth, only missing out on a podium by less than a second to Lewis Hamilton due to a poorly timed Safety Car.

  He wouldn’t have to wait long for his first taste of champagne as he scored successive podiums at two tracks he’d never previously raced on in Japan and Qatar, making him the first driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2007 to score multiple podiums in their first season.  These sandwiched a surprise first Sprint win, taken in Qatar.

  It was as eye-catching a rookie season as F1 has seen in recent times, and he finished the season in ninth place, with 97 points, an F1 Sprint win, two podiums and a haul of broken records.

• Sophomore success

  Following up a record-breaking rookie season was never going to be an easy ask, but it was also never likely to faze a driver who had become renowned for his calm and composed demeanour.

  Becoming a regular at the sharp end of the grid, Oscar’s confidence has continued to grow in line with improvements to the car. Oscar’s race-winning pedigree has never been in doubt, but it soon became apparent that it was a matter of when Oscar would win his first Grand Prix in 2024, not if.

  That all-important maiden victory was achieved in the Hungarian Grand Prix, as he became F1’s 115th winner. It was the realisation of a life-long dream for Oscar, but the celebrations were in keeping with his character. His cool and collected radio reaction, “First win… whoa,” and slew of thank you messages were followed up by a game of Monopoly with Lando and Alex Albon, a fast-food meal, and an evening with his girlfriend.

  It was typical of Oscar, whose mindset swiftly switched to ‘what’s next’. The long-term answer, he hopes, is the Formula 1 World Championship.