Oscar Piastri

2011–2015: State titles in Australia

Following his successes in radio-controlled racing, Piastri moved into kart racing in 2011 at the local Oakleigh Go Kart Racing Club (OGKRC) in Clayton South, aged 10.^[12][8] A protégé of two-time Australian Champion James Sera,^[7] he began competing for the club that year in an FA Kart chassis.^[4][13] He won his first title two years later: the 2013 CIK Stars of Karting in the Rookies class.^[4][14] 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 a A$500 prize for the latter.^[15][16][17] He further claimed runner-up in the Australian National Sprint Championship and the Victorian Championship, before progressing to international competition in the IAME International Final at Le Mans; he finished third on his debut in X30 Junior from twenty-first on the grid.^[18] He closed his national career with third in the KF3 Australian Championship—where he was ranked the Top Qualifier—as well as victory in the Victorian Championship, OGKRC's Junior Top Guns, the Gold Coast Race of Stars, and the City of Melbourne Titles again in 2015.^[19][20]

2015–2016: Move to the European scene

With the support of Sera and talent scout Rob McIntyre, Piastri moved to compete in Europe from 2015 onwards with Kosmic.^[21][7] Vroomkart later contrasted his career path to that of Ayrton Senna, having both progressed from RC racing to European karting after a transcontinental move.^[22] In KF-Junior, he claimed twelfth in the European Championship round at Portimão—where he finished twenty-sixth overall—and entered one round of the WSK Super Master Series.^[23][20] In 2016, he returned to Australia to claim his third successive City of Melbourne Titles.^[19] In Europe, he joined Ricky Flynn Motorsport in OK-Junior,^[20] where he finished tenth in the South Garda Winter Cup, twelfth in the WSK Super Master Series, and eighth in the WSK Final Cup.^[23][24] Back-to-back podiums at Portimão saw him claim sixteenth in the European Championship.^[25][26] He qualified fourth for the World Championship at Sakhir after winning his heat; his pre-final saw him drop to eighteenth before recovering to finish sixth overall in his final karting appearance.^[27][28]

2016–2017: Junior formulae debut in the UAE

Following his sixth-place at the Karting World Championship in OK-Junior, Piastri made his junior formulae debut in the second round of the Formula 4 UAE Championship at Yas Marina with Dragon F4;^[29] in a nine-driver field, he claimed sixth, fifth, fourth, and fifth on debut.^[30][31] He then scored a pair of fourth-places at Dubai 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.^[31][32][12]

2017: Runner-up in British F4

Piastri moved to the F4 British Championship for 2017 with Arden,^[33] owned by Christian Horner—who later revealed he turned down the chance to sign Piastri to the Red Bull Junior Team.^[34] He opened his campaign with two podiums at Brands Hatch,^[35] which he repeated in the third race at Donington Park, marred by the accident of Billy Monger.^[36][37] After another podium at Thruxton,^[38] he claimed his maiden F4 victory in the second race at Oulton Park to move second in the championship.^[39][40] Podiums in each race at Croft and two victories from pole position each at Snetterton and Knockhill consolidated his position.^[41][42] He came under pressure from Logan Sargeant after two retirements at Rockingham.^[43] A triple podium at Silverstone, including victory in the final race, extended his advantage,^[44][45] before he clinched the runner-up spot to the second-year Jamie Caroline with top-five finishes at Brands Hatch.^[46] 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.^[47] He later credited "learning from [his] mistakes in F4" as his greatest lesson in junior formulae.^[48]

2017: Northern European Cup debut

Following his British F4 campaign, Piastri debuted in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup at the season-ending Hockenheimring round with Arden.^[49] He claimed eighth in both races, ending the season twenty-first overall.^[30][50][51] He was subsequently invited to attend the Formula Renault 2.0 rookie test at Barcelona-Catalunya, setting the fifth-fastest time.^[52]

2018: Podiums in the Eurocup

Piastri remained with Arden for his Eurocup debut in 2018.^[53] After claiming sixth and fifth on debut at Paul Ricard,^[54][55] he scored no points at Monza, including a retirement.^[56] He finished fourth in the second race at Silverstone before dropping outside of the points again in Monaco.^[57][58] Following his sixth- and ninth-placed finishes at the Red Bull Ring,^[59] Piastri achieved his maiden podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps with third in the opening race.^[60] Back-to-back points at the Hungaroring extended his run of points finishes to six races,^[61] which ended in the first race at the Nürburgring; he claimed seventh in race two.^[62] With podiums in both races at the Hockenheimring—finishing third and second—he surpassed Alex Peroni for eighth in the championship,^[63] which he retained amidst non-scoring races at the season-ending Barcelona-Catalunya round.^[64] He closed his campaign with 110 points—165.5 behind champion Max Fewtrell—and three podiums.^[64][65]

2019: Maiden title

Piastri—now competing under a British licence—joined reigning champions R-ace GP for the 2019 Eurocup.^[66][67] His campaign opened with eighteenth and fourth at Monza.^[56] He took his maiden victory from pole position in the first race at Silverstone, which he repeated in the second.^[68] He claimed fourth and fifth in Monaco,^[69] before returning to the podium with second at Paul Ricard, where he finished sixth in race two.^[70] He closed Victor Martins's championship lead to two points with victory in the opening race at Spa-Francorchamps and levelled the standings with his fourth-place in race two.^[71][72] He opened a 40-point advantage by winning both races at the Nürburgring from pole.^[73][74] A formation lap crash at the Hungaroring after aquaplaning reduced the gap by 12.5 points with Martins's victory,^{[note 2]} which he mitigated by winning the second race from pole.^[61] Martins closed his lead to 5.5 points with three consecutive wins from pole at the penultimate Barcelona-Catalunya and Hockenheimring 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.^[76][77] At Yas 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.^[78] With fourth-place, Piastri clinched his first junior formulae championship by 7.5 points to Martins, having achieved seven wins from 11 podiums and five pole positions.^[79][76] Bruce Williams of Auto Action described it as a "a considerable step towards a Formula One career".^[80]

2022 contract dispute

In June 2022, Piastri was offered a seat with Williams for 2023 on a two-year loan from Alpine, who were expected to retain Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso.^[143] In August, Alonso announced that he would replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.^[144] Alpine then announced that Piastri would be his replacement, in a press release absent of comments from Piastri himself.^[145] He rejected their announcement two hours later via Twitter, stating that he had not signed a contract and would not be driving for them in 2023.^[146] Team principal Otmar Szafnauer criticised his actions and "integrity as a human being", stating that he expected loyalty from Piastri and further threatened to take legal action.^[147][148] It soon emerged that Piastri was instead in talks with McLaren.^[149]

A hearing of the FIA Contract Recognition Board (CRB) commenced four weeks later to determine whether Piastri was contracted to Alpine, or if he was a free agent—victory for Alpine could have obligated Piastri to either fulfil the contract for 2023, or required an interested team to activate a release clause for his services.^[150] Prior to the Dutch Grand Prix, the CRB ruled against Alpine, followed by an immediate announcement that Piastri would instead join McLaren.^[151] 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 the British Grand Prix.^[152] He was initially only guaranteed a reserve role, prior to the termination of Daniel Ricciardo in the week before the CRB hearing.^[153] Piastri later claimed a "breakdown in trust" between him and Alpine was behind his decision to leave.^[154]

2023: Rookie season and maiden podium

Piastri signed for McLaren in 2023, replacing fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo to partner Lando Norris.^[151] On debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Piastri qualified eighteenth amidst performance concerns with the MCL60, before retiring from twelfth with an electrical issue.^[155] He started eighth in Saudi Arabia prior to dropping outside the points with front wing damage sustained in a first-lap collision with Pierre Gasly.^[156] His maiden points finish came at his home Grand Prix in Australia, claiming eighth after starting sixteenth.^[157] He finished outside the points with eleventh and nineteenth at the Azerbaijan and Miami Grands Prix, respectively, suffering contact with Alexander Albon at the former and reliability issues at the latter.^[158][159] A tenth-placed finish saw him claim a point in Monaco,^[160] before a run of three further non–point finishes—in Spain, Canada, and Austria.^{[161][162][163]} Major upgrades for the British Grand Prix saw Piastri qualify third and finish fourth,^[164] before finishing fifth in Hungary.^[165] He qualified second for the Belgium sprint, retaining the position after a battle for the lead with Max Verstappen;^[166] he retired from the Grand Prix subsequent to a first-corner collision with Carlos Sainz Jr.^[167] Following a ninth-place at the Dutch Grand Prix,^[168] he finished twelfth in Italy upon front wing damage from Lewis Hamilton, taking his maiden fastest lap after the resultant pit stop.^[169][170] He qualified seventeenth in Singapore after a red flag, where he recovered to seventh.^[171] Finishing third after starting on the front-row at the Japanese Grand Prix, he became the first rookie to achieve a podium finish since Lance Stroll in 2017.^[172] He then took pole for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint, holding off Verstappen to claim his maiden sprint victory;^[173] he finished second in the main race, having started sixth.^[174] He retired from the United States Grand Prix following a collision with Esteban Ocon,^[175] and claimed eighth in Mexico City.^[176] He sustained first-lap damage enroute to fourteenth in São Paulo,^[177] before closing his rookie season with tenth- and sixth-placed finishes in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi—qualifying third at the latter.^[178][179] Piastri finished ninth in the World Drivers' Championship with two podiums and 97 points, 108 behind teammate Norris in sixth;^[180] his results led to a multi-year contract extension with McLaren until at least the end of 2026.^[181]

2024: Maiden wins

Piastri opened his 2024 campaign with eighth at the Bahrain Grand Prix,^[182] followed by fourth-placed finishes in Saudi Arabia and Australia.^[183][184] He claimed eighth again at both the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix.^[185][186] In Miami, McLaren emerged as challengers to championship leaders Red Bull;^[187] Piastri dropped to thirteenth following a collision in his battle for second with Carlos Sainz Jr., as teammate Lando Norris took victory.^[188] He qualified second at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix—demoted to fifth with a grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen—and finished fourth.^[189] Piastri qualified and finished second to Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix,^[190] prior to claiming fifth and seventh at the Canadian and Spanish Grands Prix, respectively.^[191][192] He finished second in both the sprint and main race at the Austrian Grand Prix.^[193] In Britain, he climbed to second from fifth in the wet before a belated switch to intermediate tyres dropped him to fourth;^[194] he fractured a rib during the Grand Prix due to an improper seat fit, which he sustained until the summer break.^[195] Piastri qualified second for the Hungarian Grand Prix before overtaking teammate Norris into the first corner; McLaren then controversially allowed Norris to undercut him prior to ordering a position-swap.^[196] He allowed Piastri past with two laps remaining, who claimed his maiden victory to become the fifth Australian to win a Formula One Grand Prix.^[197] Norris commented that the result was "fair" and "honest", conceding that he lost the race at the start.^[198]

Piastri finished second in Belgium after a disqualification for George Russell, promoting him to fourth in the standings—ahead of Sainz—before finishing fourth at the Dutch Grand Prix.^[199][200] He led the majority of the Italian Grand Prix after a first-lap overtake on Norris, before a strategic error saw him finish second to the one-stop of Leclerc.^[201] Qualifying second to Leclerc in Azerbaijan, Piastri claimed another victory following a race-long battle for the lead.^[202] He then took third in Singapore,^[203] before finishing fifth at the United States Grand Prix.^[204] Eighth-placed finishes at the Mexico City and São Paulo Grands Prix—including second at the latter sprint after being ordered to allow Norris to win—were followed by seventh-place in Las Vegas after a false start penalty.^{[205][206][207][208]} Norris returned the favour at the chequered flag for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint, allowing Piastri to take victory before he finished third in the main race.^[209][210] He finished the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in tenth after a first-lap collision with Max Verstappen.^[211] Piastri ended the season fourth in the World Drivers' Championship on 292 points—82 behind runner-up Norris—with two victories from eight podiums, helping McLaren win their first World Constructors' Championship since 1998.^[212]

2025: Three-way title battle vs. Norris and Verstappen

McLaren entered 2025 as title favourites, with Piastri expected to challenge teammate Lando Norris for the World Drivers' Championship.^[213] 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.^[214] He qualified on the front-row for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, behind teammate Norris;^[215] he challenged Norris for the lead before spinning in wet conditions and leaving the track, ultimately finishing ninth.^[216] After finishing second in the sprint, he took his maiden pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, dominating the race ahead of Norris to claim his first victory of the season.^[217] He finished third in Japan behind Max Verstappen and Norris.^[218] Piastri took pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix, cruising to a 15-second winning margin and moving within three points of Norris.^[219] He took another victory in Saudi Arabia to become the first Australian to lead the World Drivers' Championship since 2010.^[220] He finished second in the Miami Grand Prix sprint after a late safety car put him behind Norris, before winning the main race.^[221] On pole for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he finished third after a first-corner overtake by Verstappen and a strategic error.^[222] He won the Spanish Grand Prix after starting on pole,^[223] and finished fourth in Canada, where championship rival Norris attempted to overtake him and crashed into the pit wall, extending Piastri's lead to 22 points.^[224]

Piastri finished second in Austria after a race-long battle with Norris, narrowly avoiding another collision after locking his brakes at Rauch.^[225] He led the majority of the wet-weather British Grand Prix before receiving a penalty for inadvertently brake testing Verstappen on a restart, conceding the victory to Norris.^[226] He finished second to Verstappen from pole in the Belgium sprint prior to his victory in the wet–dry Grand Prix, which followed an early overtake on polesitter Norris at the exit of Raidillon.^[227] He qualified second—ahead of Norris—in Hungary, where Norris beat him to victory on a one-stop strategy.^[228] He took pole for the Dutch Grand Prix and held off Norris until his teammate's late engine failure, achieving his maiden grand chelem and increasing his advantage to 34 points.^[229] Verstappen—104 points behind—re-emerged as a distant title threat in Italy, where Piastri held third until a slow pit stop for Norris elevated him to second; he was controversially ordered to cede the position and settled for third.^{[230][231][232]} He crashed out of qualifying in Azerbaijan; starting ninth, he jumped the start, stalled, and crashed into Turn Five on the opening lap, recording his first retirement in 45 Grands Prix and conceding six points to Norris, as well as 25 to Verstappen.^[233] First-lap contact with Norris in Singapore dropped Piastri behind him in fourth, as McLaren clinched the World Constructors' Championship with a joint-record six remaining Grands Prix.^[234]

Another first-corner collision with Norris in the United States sprint saw both retire after Piastri was hit by Nico Hülkenberg in an attempted switchback 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 both Mercedes drivers in Mexico City, he finished fifth again and dropped a point behind the victorious Norris.^[238] As Norris dominated in São Paulo, Piastri crashed out of third in the sprint in drying conditions at the Senna 'S' and was penalised for colliding with Kimi Antonelli—causing the retirement of Charles Leclerc—in the Grand Prix, dropping from second to fifth.^[239] He was initially classified fourth in Las Vegas before both he and Norris were disqualified for skid block wear, levelling him with race-winner Verstappen.^[240] Piastri won the Qatar sprint event from pole position to gain more points on Norris and Verstappen, and finished second in the main race after a strategic error by McLaren allowed Verstappen to win the Grand Prix ahead of Piastri at Lusail. The results in Qatar meant that Piastri who had led the Drivers' Championship for much of the season had now slipped to third in the standings, two points behind Verstappen. At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Piastri qualified third and finished second. As Verstappen won the Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi from pole, with team mate Norris in third, this meant Piastri finished the season third in the standings, 13 points behind eventual champion and McLaren team mate Norris.^[241] Piastri finished the season with seven victories and 16 podiums, both records for an Australian driver. He also passed Daniel Ricciardo and equalled Mark Webber in career victories.^[242] Piastri's season has been described by himself as one he can be "proud" of, and one of "mighty rise, but uncontrollable fall" by the media.^[243][244]

2026: New regulations

Piastri remained with McLaren for new power unit and chassis regulations in 2026. Having qualified fifth for his home race, the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, he crashed on his reconnaissance lap due to an unexpected engine surge whilst driving over a kerb and failed to start the race.^[245][246] At the Chinese Grand Prix, he scored points by finishing sixth in the sprint and then qualified fifth for the race, but again failed to start due to an electrical issue before the formation lap.^[247] He finished second at the Japanese Grand Prix, behind Kimi Antonelli.^[248] At the Miami Grand Prix, Piastri placed second in the sprint, before qualifying seventh and finishing third in the main race.^[249] He finished fourth in the Canadian Grand Prix sprint and eleventh in the main race.^[250][251] In the first European race of the season, Piastri finished fifth on track at the Monaco Grand Prix, and was promoted to fourth after a time penalty for Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, but lost the position after an appeal that overturned Gasly's penalty.^[252] Subsequently, he finished fifth again in Barcelona-Catalunya,^[253] and fourth in Austria.^[254] At the British Grand Prix, Piastri placed seventh in the sprint race and qualified eighth for the main race.^[255][256] He finished eleventh in the main race, having made contact with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson and sustained damage to his car during the opening lap.^[257][258] At the Belgian Grand Prix, he finished seventh in qualifying, but started the race sixth due to teammate Lando Norris' ten-place grid penalty,^[259][260] eventually finishing fifth.^[261]

Complete CIK-FIA Karting World Championship results

More information Year, Entrant ...

Year	Entrant	Class	Circuit	QH	PF	F
2016	Ricky Flynn Motorsport	OK-J	Sakhir	4th	18th	6th
Source:[300]

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Complete CIK-FIA Karting European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)