By Amira Kim
When one Aussie legend steps down, another steps up.
Australia has produced some of the most impressive drivers in Formula 1 in the past 25 years, and Oscar Piastri is continuing the tradition.
And while Piastri may have ultimately fallen short in his bid to claim his maiden World Drivers Championship, he has still made enormous strides in 2025.
Piastri led the driver’s championship for 15 Grands Prix out of 24 in just his third season. He finished in third place behind teammate Lando Norris by 13 points with defending champion Max Verstappen in second place, 11 points ahead of the Australian.
At the end of the 2022 season Australian driver “the Honey Badger” Daniel Ricciardo stepped down as an active Formula 1 driver and moved to a reserve driver position for the Red Bull team.
Just when patriotic fans thought it was over for our stint of Aussie drivers on the grid, McLaren announced Piastri’s Formula 1 debut for the following 2023 season.
The youngster has one of the most impressive resumés on the grid.
At 18 he began making history by earning his first championship at the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup and following it up with the 2020 Formula 3 championship and 2021 Formula 2 championship, making him the only driver to win those championships successively.
This feat also made him the sixth driver in history to earn the Formula 2 title in their rookie season.
Since his Formula 1 debut in 2023, Piastri has been consistently performing and improving every Grand Prix. This is arguably the first season he’s experienced setbacks.
His performance cannot be denied, and it can be argued that his natural driving talent and competitive nature is what has brought out a better performance in his teammate Norris.
Norris, who has been with the team since 2019, had not yet won a Grand Prix until 2024 in Miami, where team orders had Piastri come in for a pit stop and hand over his first position in the race to Norris.
Piastri was not able to retake his position and instead set the fastest lap time during the Grand Prix that would be Norris’s maiden victory. Only six races later Piastri would have his maiden win.
Since that moment in 2024, the teammates have maintained a competitive rivalry boosting both of their standings in the championship and their own careers.
Hopes were high that during 2025 Piastri may win his maiden driver’s title. In doing so he’d be following closely in the footsteps of the great rookies before him, Jacques Villeneuve and Lewis Hamilton, who won their first World Driver’s Championship in their second seasons on the grid.
Whether he does it this year or next, there is no doubt Oscar Piastri will be a world champion and one for the books. Keep an eye on this one.
Featured image: Oscar Piastri’s maiden Grand Prix victory in Hungary. Photo: Branislav Racko/CC/Heute
