Oscar Piastri
McLaren Formula 1 Driver
Born | 06/04/2001, Melbourne, Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Racing number | 81 |
F1 debut | 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix |
Height | 178cm, 5ft 10in |
Wins | 2 |
Podiums | 9 |
Fastest Laps | 3 |
Favourite circuit | Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium |
In a world of few guarantees, Oscar Piastri winning junior single-seater championships became one of them during his climb up the motorsport ladder. In just three years, the Australian won enough trophies to host his own edition of the Oscars.
The Australian is the latest in a long line of Formula 1 drivers from the other side of the Tasman Sea to our New Zealand-born founder, Bruce McLaren. Like Bruce, Oscar exudes calm and is a quick learner, impressing our race team with a composed approach to Formula 1 racing that has seen him go from strength to strength since his debut.
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Biography
Oscar's
Journey to F1
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Oscar Piastri Through the years
Oscar Piastri
Milestones So far
The key milestones and moments in Oscar's career
2013
CIK Stars of Karting champion
2014
South Australian Junior Championship winner
Victorian State Junior Championship winner
2015
British F4 vice-champion
2019
Formula Renault Eurocup champion
2020
Formula 3 champion
2021
Formula 2 champion
2023
Graduates to Formula 1 with McLaren
First F1 Sprint win at the Qatar Grand Prix
First F1 podium (2nd) in the Qatar Grand Prix
2024
First F1 Grand Prix victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Helmets OP81
“I want to be fighting it out at the front of the grid with this team and I am excited by the vision and foundations that are already being laid to get us there”
Oscar Piastri
McLaren F1 Driver
Recent articles OP81
Oscar Piastri's road to victory
After Oscar’s first visit to the top step of the podium, we’re looking back at the journey he’s taken to get here
Oscar’s lessons learned
Oscar is as calm and collected as the day he first arrived, but his 2023 experiences have fast-tracked his progression
Behind the visor of Oscar Piastri
Fresh from signing a new contract, we explore the origin of Oscar’s passion for racing and how it’s shaped him
The OP81 QUIZ
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Oscar Piastri
Quickfire Questions
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