Oscar Piastri is gearing up for what could be the defining season of his Formula 1 career in 2025. After a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him claim eight podiums, including two wins, and play a pivotal role in McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship since 1998, the Australian is focused on taking the next step: becoming a true title contender.
Key to this leap, Piastri admits, is improving his execution over a single lap. Despite his strong season, he was overshadowed by his teammate Lando Norris, whose qualifying dominance left Piastri playing catch-up on race days.
A Promising Foundation, but Gaps to Close
Piastri’s 2024 season was an undeniable success for a second-year driver. However, the 22-year-old finished 82 points behind Norris in the Drivers’ Championship, with the British driver notching eight pole positions compared to Piastri’s none. The disparity in qualifying performances often left Piastri starting races further down the grid, making his race-day challenges more uphill.
“I don’t think I’ve ever really made life easy for myself in the races,” Piastri admitted. “Leaving a few too many positions on the table in qualifying has been the biggest issue.”
The Key to Unlocking Championship Potential
As McLaren enters 2025 as the team to beat, Piastri knows he must narrow the qualifying gap to Norris to avoid being relegated to a support role. Last season, McLaren imposed team orders on Piastri during Verstappen’s dominance, emphasizing the importance of stronger Saturdays to stake his claim as a championship contender.
“It’s about putting everything together,” Piastri explained. “I feel like the gaps now are very, very small or non-existent. But if I can get it all together, I’ll be on my way.”
He believes the pieces are already in place, highlighting that his struggles in qualifying have rarely been a mystery:
“There’s not been many occasions where it’s been hard for me to understand where the time’s gone. After qualifying in Abu Dhabi, I knew immediately what went wrong.”
The focus for the off-season, Piastri says, will be finding consistency and minimizing mistakes, allowing him to tap into his full potential:
“When I have been on it, I’ve been good enough. The next step is realizing that potential every weekend.”
Lessons from Lando Norris
If anyone understands Piastri’s current position, it’s Lando Norris. In 2023, Norris admitted to squandering grid positions due to qualifying errors, but he turned that around in 2024 with eight pole positions, tying Max Verstappen for the season’s most.
Piastri sees a similar trajectory for himself:
“Lando showed what’s possible by improving in qualifying. It’s about consistency and execution, and that’s where my focus is.”
Why Qualifying Matters More Than Ever
In modern F1, where overtaking is at a premium and track position is critical, qualifying has become the cornerstone of championship contention. Norris’s poles in 2024 allowed him to dictate the pace on Sundays, while Piastri often found himself stuck in midfield battles.
With McLaren entering 2025 as the team to beat, maximizing the performance of the car in qualifying will be non-negotiable for Piastri if he hopes to keep pace with Norris and challenge the likes of Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
2025: A Defining Season for Piastri
Piastri’s meteoric rise in Formula 1 is a testament to his raw talent, but the pressure is mounting as McLaren’s resurgence has elevated expectations. The team’s historic Constructors’ Championship win in 2024 has positioned them as the grid’s benchmark, making internal competition between Piastri and Norris even fiercer.
“The encouraging thing is the potential has been there,” Piastri said. “Now it’s about realizing it every weekend. If I can do that, we’re in for a fun season.”
As McLaren continues to build momentum, the Australian phenom knows that 2025 could be his year to shine—or fall short. But with his clear focus on qualifying improvements and the hunger to achieve consistency, Piastri is ready to take the fight to his teammate and the rest of the field.
Can Oscar Piastri take the next step and emerge as a true F1 title contender in 2025? With McLaren’s machinery and his laser-focused mindset, the pieces are in place. Now it’s all down to execution.
