As of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Piastri has achieved nine race wins, five pole positions, eight fastest laps, and 24 podiums in Formula One. Piastri is contracted to remain at McLaren until at least the end of the 2028 season.[1]
Early life
Piastri was sponsored by his father's company, HP Tuners, throughout his junior formulae career.
Oscar Jack Piastri was born on 6 April 2001 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.[3] His father, Chris Piastri, is the founder and owner of HP Tuners, an automotive software company; the company sponsored his junior formulae career with up to A$6.5 million.[4] He served as Piastri's kart mechanic as he contested national championships in Australia.[5] His mother, Nicole Piastri (née MacFadyen), helped raise him in the suburb of Brighton with his three younger sisters—Hattie, Edie, and Mae.[6] He claims Italian, Yugoslavian, and Chinese heritage from his father, as well as Scottish and Irish from his mother.[7] His bedtime stories frequently consisted of automotive books, prompting his father to buy him a radio-controlled car on a business trip when he was six, which he began racing in his backyard.[3]
Piastri began racing competitively aged nine with Remote Control Racing Australia, winning the secondary class of the national championship before moving into kart racing.[8][9] Aged 14, he moved with his father—who returned to Melbourne six months later—to Hertford, England, to continue his international racing career in Europe.[3] Having been privately educated at Haileybury, he moved to its sister school in Hertford Heath—whose alumni include Stirling Moss—as a boarding pupil on a sports scholarship.[10][11] By the end of 2015, Piastri began travelling for karting tests and competitions between Italy, France, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, and Portugal from Stansted Airport, costing his father around £250,000.[4] In 2019, he was taken under the wing of nine-time Grand Prix winner Mark Webber and his wife, Ann; the former has served as his manager since and negotiated his move to Formula One.[12]
Junior racing career
Karting (2011–2016)
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.[13][9] A protégé of two-time Australian Champion James Sera,[8] he began competing for the club that year in an FA Kart chassis.[5][14] He won his first title two years later: the 2013 CIK Stars of Karting in the Rookies class.[5][15] 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.[16][17][18] 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.[19] 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.[20][21]
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.[22][8]Vroomkart later contrasted his career path to that of Ayrton Senna, having both progressed from RC racing to European karting after a transcontinental move.[23] 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.[24][21] In 2016, he returned to Australia to claim his third successive City of Melbourne Titles.[20] In Europe, he joined Ricky Flynn Motorsport,[21] where he finished tenth in the South Garda Winter Cup, twelfth in the WSK Super Master Series, and eighth in the WSK Final Cup.[24][25] Back-to-back podiums at Portimão saw him claim sixteenth in the European Championship.[26][27] 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.[28][29]
Formula 4 (2016–2017)
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;[30] in a nine-driver field, he claimed sixth, fifth, fourth, and fifth on debut.[31][32] 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.[32][33][13]
Piastri moved to the F4 British Championship for 2017 with Arden,[34] owned by Christian Horner—who later revealed he turned down the chance to sign Piastri to the Red Bull Junior Team.[35] He opened his campaign with two podiums at Brands Hatch,[36] which he repeated in the third race at Donington Park, marred by the accident of Billy Monger.[37][38] After another podium at Thruxton,[39] he claimed his maiden F4 victory in the second race at Oulton Park to move second in the championship.[40][41] Podiums in each race at Croft and two victories from pole position each at Snetterton and Knockhill consolidated his position.[42][43] He came under pressure from Logan Sargeant after two retirements at Rockingham.[44] A triple podium at Silverstone, including victory in the final race, extended his advantage,[45][46] before clinching the runner-up spot to the second-year Jamie Caroline with top-five finishes at Brands Hatch.[47] 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.[48] He later credited "learning from [his] mistakes in F4" as his greatest lesson in junior formulae.[49]
In 2018, Piastri made his debut in the championship, reuniting with Arden.[50] Claiming three podiums, with a highest placed finish of second at the second race at Hockenheim, he finished the season ninth in the championship.[51] In December 2018, it was announced Piastri would switch to reigning team champions R-ace GP for the 2019 championship.[52] He claimed his first victory in the series at Silverstone[53] and repeated with a second win at the same venue a day later.[54] He became the first driver to win three races in 2019 after taking victory at Spa-Francorchamps in July,[55] and became the champion after taking a win and fourth place at the final round at Yas Marina.[56]
In December 2018, Piastri took part in the GP3 Series post-season test at Yas Marina with Trident.[note 2][58] In October 2019, Piastri joined the post-season test with reigning FIA Formula 3 team champions Prema Racing.[59] In January 2020, the Italian outfit signed Piastri to contest the upcoming season,[60] alongside Logan Sargeant and 2019 Formula Regional European champion Frederik Vesti. Piastri started third on the grid for his debut race at the Red Bull Ring.[61] He collided with pole-sitterSebastián Fernández at the first corner but avoided damage and went on to take victory.[62] He then stated that "he thought [his] first Formula 3 race had ended in the first 10 seconds."[63] Piastri took three consecutive second-place finishes at both Hungaroring races[64] and the first Silverstone feature race, before his first retirement of the season came at the following Silverstone sprint race when a stuck-open DRS forced him to withdraw.[65] Teammate Sargeant took the lead of the championship from Piastri at the second Silverstone feature race after Piastri struggled with reliability issues in qualifying.[66] Piastri started fifth for the sprint race in Barcelona, but overtook multiple cars to take the lead before the end of the first lap. He held his position to take his second victory.[67]
Piastri reclaimed the championship lead after finishing fifth at the following Spa-Francorchamps feature race,[68] but dropped back again after being penalised for an illegal overtake in the sprint race, which Sargeant won.[69] Piastri was penalised in qualifying at Monza for impeding Jake Hughes and started the feature race in 15th place.[70] He charged to third place by the end of the race, benefiting from Sargeant being involved in a collision, to retake the championship lead.[71] Piastri retired from the sprint race after he was hit by Clément Novalak, but was also issued a five-place grid penalty for the next race for earlier forcing David Beckmann off the track.[72] Despite his retirement, Piastri maintained the lead of the championship after his teammates collided with each other. Piastri lined up 16th on the grid for the final feature race at the Mugello Circuit[73] and failed to score points after finishing 11th.[74] Title rival Sargeant finished sixth, leaving both drivers tied on 160 points going into the final race.[75] Sargeant started the sprint race six places ahead of Piastri, but was eliminated after a collision on the first lap. Piastri's only remaining title rival, Théo Pourchaire, was unable to bridge the points gap and Piastri finished seventh to claim the championship title, three points ahead of Pourchaire and four ahead of Sargeant.[76][77]
Piastri remained with Prema for his 2021 campaign in FIA Formula 2, replacing Mick Schumacher to partner Ferrari Driver Academy member Robert Shwartzman.[78] He debuted in Formula Two machinery during the three-day 2020 post-season test at Sakhir.[79] Prior to the season, he stated that he was expecting a "very challenging year", with plans to remain in the category for two years.[80] Piastri qualified seventh on debut at Sakhir,[81][82] finishing fifth in the reverse-grid first sprint race.[83] Starting sixth for the second sprint,[note 3] he took his maiden victory after seven overtakes in the closing seven laps, following a pit stop for option tyres behind the safety car, claiming the lead from Zhou Guanyu on the final tour.[85] He then made several overtakes to lead the feature, before retiring amidst a collision with Dan Ticktum while battling for third on the antepenultimate lap.[86] Qualifying third in both Monte Carlo and Baku,[note 4] he claimed second in the second sprint and feature at the former, as well as the latter feature.[89][90][91] Following his maiden pole position at Silverstone, he finished sixth, fourth, and third to claim the championship lead from Zhou.[92][93] After ending fourth and seventh in the Monza sprints, he won the feature from pole in a battle with Zhou, which he repeated at Sochi with Théo Pourchaire.[94][95] He took two further victories at Jeddah: he won the second sprint and the feature from pole, the latter being aborted in the wake of several red flag incidents.[96] His fifth consecutive pole at Yas Island saw him start tenth in the first sprint, where he claimed third in a late battle with teammate and runner-up Shwartzman to clinch the title;[97][98] he closed the season with his record fourth successive feature victory.[99] Across his campaign, Piastri took 252.5 points—60.5 ahead of Shwartzman—with six wins from 11 podiums and five pole positions.[100][101] He became the sixth driver in history to win the GP2/F2 title in their rookie season,[note 5] the third to win the GP3/F3 and GP2/F2 titles in successive seasons,[note 6] and the first to win Formula Renault, Formula Three, and Formula Two—or equivalent—championships in successive seasons.[13] He was named FIA Rookie of the Year for his efforts in 2021,[104] stating "[he had] done basically everything [he] could [to prove himself]".[105]
After his FIA Formula 2 title victory, Piastri was appointed the reserve driver of Alpine for their 2022 campaign, amidst links to an Alfa Romeo move;[110] he was also made available in the role for McLaren following an agreement between the two teams.[111] He completed around 3,000km (1,900mi) of further private tests in the A521 throughout the season—part of an "intense" training programme.[112][113] Prior to the São Paulo Grand Prix, he completed a private two-day test for McLaren at Paul Ricard in the MCL35M, before entering post-season testing in the MCL36;[114] he conducted his final rookie test with the team across two days at Barcelona-Catalunya.[115]
2022 contract dispute
Alpine falsely claimed Piastri had signed for them in 2022, leading to a widely publicised 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.[116] In August, Alonso announced that he would replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin.[117] Alpine then announced that Piastri would be his replacement, in a press release absent of comments from Piastri himself.[118] 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.[119] 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.[120][121] It soon emerged that Piastri was instead in talks with McLaren.[122]
I understand that, without my agreement, [Alpine] have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
—Piastri via Twitter, denying the Alpine press release two hours later[119]
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.[123] Prior to the Dutch Grand Prix, the CRB ruled against Alpine, followed by an immediate announcement that Piastri would instead join McLaren.[124] 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.[125] He was initially only guaranteed a reserve role, prior to the termination of Daniel Ricciardo in the week before the CRB hearing.[126] Piastri later claimed a "breakdown in trust" between him and Alpine was behind his decision to leave.[127]
Piastri (pictured at the Japanese Grand Prix) was one of the favourites ahead of the 2025 World Drivers' Championship.
McLaren entered 2025 as title favourites, with Piastri expected to challenge teammate Lando Norris for the World Drivers' Championship.[186] 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.[1] He qualified on the front-row for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, behind teammate Norris;[187] he challenged Norris for the lead before spinning in wet conditions, ultimately finishing ninth.[188] 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.[189] He finished third in Japan behind Max Verstappen and Norris.[190] Piastri took pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix, cruising to a 15-second winning margin and moving within three points of Norris.[191] He took another victory in Saudi Arabia to become the first Australian to lead the World Drivers' Championship since 2010.[192] He finished second in the Miami Grand Prix sprint after a late safety car put him behind Norris, before winning the main race.[193] On pole for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he finished third after a first-corner overtake by Verstappen and a strategic error.[194] He won the Spanish Grand Prix after starting on pole,[195] and finished fourth in Canada, where championship rival Norris attempted to overtake him and crashed into the pit wall to extend Piastri's lead to 22 points.[196]
Piastri finished second in Austria after a race-long battle with Norris, narrowly avoiding another collision after locking his brakes at Rauch.[197] 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.[198] 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.[199] He qualified second—ahead of Norris—in Hungary, where Norris beat him to victory on a one-stop strategy.[200] 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.[201] He held third in Italy until a slow pit stop for Norris elevated him to second; Piastri was controversially ordered to cede the position and settled for third.[202][203][204] He crashed out of qualifying in Azerbaijan; starting ninth, he jumped the start, stalled, and crashed into a wall on the opening lap, recording his first retirement in 44 Grands Prix and conceding six points to Norris.[205]
Piastri has been noted by drivers and critics for his composure under pressure. In 2023, Scott Mitchell-Malm of The Race compared his "relaxed intensity" to that of Max Verstappen.[206] Upon winning the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Luke Smith of The New York Times stated that "stress isn’t an emotion one would associate with Piastri. His calm, collected demeanor has been present right from his junior days."[207] This quality prompted several journalists to list him as a favourite for the 2025 World Drivers' Championship after the Bahrain Grand Prix,[208][209][210] with Martin Brundle comparing him to Alain Prost.[211] Andrew Benson of BBC Sport stated "combining consistent speed [with] mental solidity and racing decisiveness [makes him] a formidable rival".[212] After winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, title rival Verstappen stated "he's very calm in his approach, and I like that. [...] He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes—and that's what you need when you want to fight for a championship".[213] As his title battle with teammate Lando Norris emerged, Natalie Pinkham of Top Gear described him as "the cerebral assassin", adding that "he races like he's solving a complex puzzle at [200mph (320km/h)]".[214] His composed demeanour has drawn several comparisons to Kimi Räikkönen, widely known as the Iceman.[215][216][217]
Development
Piastri (pictured at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix) has been noted for his development across his debut seasons.
Piastri has also been lauded for his adaptability, with race engineer Tom Stallard commending his ability to identify flaws in real-time and make improvements without data analysis.[206] His ability to promptly learn from mistakes was initially noted by his engineer in the F4 UAE Championship.[24]Sky Sports described his rookie campaign as "very impressive", noting that his tyre management required improvement.[153] He was noted for his race pace development throughout 2024, as he took his maiden victories in Hungary and Azerbaijan—the latter was described by Luke Smith of The New York Times as a "coming-of-age drive".[218][219][207] By 2025, several critics opined that he had eradicated the tyre management and qualifying pace issues he experienced in his earlier seasons;[210][220][221][222] he worked closely with his engineers to solve the former and extensively analysed his past performances to iterate upon the latter.[223][224]
Personal life
Piastri is a supporter of the Australian rules football team Richmond.[225] As well as supporting Australia's national cricket team, he follows the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, after a post on his X profile asking for recommendations of which team to support.[226]As of July2024[update], Piastri is dating Lily Zneimer, an engineering graduate whom he met during his schoolgoing years. The pair began dating the year before Piastri completed his education in 2019.[227]
† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. ‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
Complete Formula One results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; superscript indicates point-scoring sprint position)
↑ Since 2017, qualifying for the Monte Carlo FIA Formula 2 round had been split into two groups; qualifying position in each group decided the starting grid-row, with the order of each row decided by the fastest time between them.[87] Piastri qualified second in his group and, with a faster time than Dan Ticktum, was classified third overall.[88]
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