Oscar Piastri has expressed that it “made sense” to commit to McLaren in Formula 1 on a multi-term deal, despite having had two seasons to run on his previous contract.
McLaren announced in the build-up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that Piastri has penned a renewal which will run until the end of the 2025 campaign at least.
The Australian’s preceding deal was due to run until 2025, but McLaren has sought to shut down potential interest elsewhere with an extension prior to the upcoming season.
Piastri’s renewal succeeds his team-mate Lando Norris, now entering his seventh season in the sport with the Woking-based squad, putting pen to paper 12 months ago.
The duo combined to deliver McLaren’s first Constructors’ Championship since 1998 last time around, with Piastri victorious twice at the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.
Piastri, who has outlined the desire to mount his own title challenge in 2025, insisted that McLaren’s success has whetted his appetite to help the team remain at the top.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision,” Piastri said.
“The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible.
“There are so many talented and special people working at the MTC who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career.
“Therefore, I’m very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come.
“I’m excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year’s fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.”
Piastri wants to remain with McLaren long term
McLaren CEO Zak Brown described the deal as a “no-brainer”, as he lauded the championship-winning Norris and Piastri driver line-up as the best on the entire grid.
Piastri concurred that both parties’ mutual desire to achieve sustained success made the decision to extend his spell with the reigning champions a natural outcome.
“It’s really exciting for me,” he added. “I still had two more seasons left, but we’ve gone early and extended it even further, so I’m really excited.
“Obviously, last year was a phenomenal year. Even my first year with the team started on a bit of a low, but we found our feet halfway through the season.
“I think for myself and for the team in both directions it made a lot of sense to try and lock our future together for the long term.
“So I’m very excited to be in papaya for many, many years to come now, and, yeah, hopefully more success coming our way.”
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