Oscar Piastri, a talented Australian racing driver is currently competing in Formula One for McLaren and has won numerous accolades, setting impressive records along the way.
| Nationality | Australian |
|---|---|
| Born | Oscar Jack Piastri 6 April 2001 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Born in 2001, he quickly ascended through the motorsport ranks, establishing himself as one of the brightest talents in Formula One. His career began in karting, but by 2016, Piastri had graduated to junior formulae, where he started collecting championships at an astonishing pace.
Piastri’s first major success came in 2019 when he won the Formula Renault Eurocup. Competing in a highly competitive field, Piastri secured seven race victories and claimed the championship by a significant margin. This victory marked his first major step on the international stage, putting him on the radar of Formula One teams and talent scouts.
In 2020, Piastri joined Prema Racing, one of the most successful teams in junior formulae, to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. In his rookie season, Piastri won the championship after a dramatic final race in Mugello, securing the title by just three points. His success continued into 2021 when he graduated to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, again with Prema Racing. In his debut season, Piastri dominated the field, winning six races and claiming the championship with two rounds to spare. This made him the sixth driver in history to win the GP2/Formula 2 title in their rookie season and solidified his reputation as a future Formula One star. His back-to-back titles in FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 were a rare feat, making him the only driver in history to win Formula Renault, Formula Three, and Formula Two championships in successive seasons.
During his junior career, Piastri was snapped up as a member of the Alpine Academy, a program designed to develop young drivers for a future in Formula One. From 2020 to 2021, he served as a test and reserve driver for the Alpine team while competing in junior categories. Despite being a promising candidate for a future race seat at Alpine, a contract dispute at the end of 2022 saw Piastri part ways with the team. This dispute would ultimately lead to Piastri securing a race seat with McLaren for the 2023 season.
Piastri made his Formula One debut with McLaren in 2023, partnering with Lando Norris. Despite the pressure of racing for one of the most iconic teams in the sport and going up against a highly-rated teammate, Piastri quickly adapted, including his first podium finish at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
At the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, Piastri clinched his inaugural Sprint race victory, having secured pole position in the sprint shootout. In the Grand Prix race on the same weekend, he crossed the line in second place, outperforming teammate Norris, with his highest finish in Formula 1. He finished a mere 4.8 seconds behind the reigning champion, Max Verstappen.
Retaining his seat for 2024, Piastri continued to impress, securing his maiden Formula One win at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, followed by a second win at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. These victories made Piastri the fifth Australian driver to win an F1 Grand Prix,
He is contracted to remain with McLaren until at least the end of the 2026 season.
