Oscar Piastri has just completed his second season in Formula 1 with McLaren and it was a pretty successful one, to say the least.
The Aussie finished fourth in the Drivers’ Championship after two victories at the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.
Piastri returns to McLaren for 2025 alongside Lando Norris to chase another championship after just ending a 16-year title drought. They’re one of just two teams to maintain the same pairing.
The Woking-based outfit is now the hunted as the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull all seek revenge in the Constructors’ standings.
Piastri says McLaren exceeded expectations by winning so early in the season after making some rapid progress through the field with upgrades.
There’s one final year for them to clinch a title double before the 2026 F1 regulations shake up the order and possibly reset the entire field.
Oscar Piastri scrolls Instagram before getting into a McLaren F1 car
Martin Brundle says Piastri couldn’t cope with Norris in the second half of the season as the Brit continued to improve as the car got better too.
2025 is the reset that the 23-year-old needed to get back on a level playing field with his teammate and apply some real pressure on him.
READ MORE: What ‘everyone’ in the Formula 1 paddock is starting to say about Oscar Piastri after 2024 season
He has the experience to deliver true results now, but Piastri is wary that rivals Mercedes could be ballistically quick in 2025, as could others.
After visiting the Australian cricket team during the annual Boxing Day test, he took some time to quiz them about the aspects of their dugout and mid-match routine.
“So what’s the deal with this line thing? [No mobile phones]. I’m guessing that’s a rule you guys have [not] to see your phone,” he said.
“Normally I’m on my phone pretty much just before I jump in the car, but not looking at anything important, just scrolling Instagram or something.”
Can Oscar Piastri challenge for the F1 title in 2025?
Anything could happen for McLaren now that they have the fastest car on the Formula 1 grid, having drastically outdeveloped their rivals this year.
It has set them up well for some short-term success and it makes them the favourite for next season, but what about Piastri’s chances?
He finished 82 points behind Norris in his second season and showed signs of improvement throughout the campaign.
READ MORE: Oscar Piastri jokes the whole McLaren team was against him during 2023 for one reason
Previously, he struggled with sustaining the Pirelli rubber for longer periods but managed to get a hold of that with more laps in the car.
Without having an in-depth understanding of the tyres it’s virtually impossible to win a championship nowadays so that could go a long way for him.
Piastri claimed he is ready to fight in 2025 despite some painful results towards the end of the season which is a promising sign for his chances too.
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