McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has detailed how Oscar Piastri has evolved to become a prime title contender in just his third full-time Formula 1 season in 2025.
Piastri’s rookie season in 2023 did enough to back up the hype surrounding his name, while his sophomore campaign saw him help McLaren win the Constructors’ title.
Coming in 2025 with McLaren regarded as favourites to take both championships, it was Piastri’s team-mate, Lando Norris, hedged as the leading bet to land the crown.
But 10 rounds into the season, however, Piastri has been victorious on five occasions to open up a 22-point lead over Norris as McLaren has commanded proceedings.
Stella has divulged the areas that the 24-year-old has improved in that have allowed him to take the ascendency in the 2025 title race.
“Well, I think the most important improvement, if anything, is that Oscar has become a faster driver,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think when you are a faster driver then you have more opportunity, more time to process, more bandwidth to process things. And this is true when you are in the car, and this is also true when you are outside the car.
“Because the speed is there – let’s process all the other marginal gains that will then, at the end of the weekend, constitute the performance that you need to have the kind of results that he’s having at the moment.”
While Piastri showcased blistering speed last year, he often struggled to match Norris’ pace consistently, particularly over a single lap.
Norris out-qualified Piastri 20-4 in 2024, with his one-lap pace being almost a tenth quicker than the Australian’s on average across the season.
This season, however, the balance has swung in favour of Piastri. He has been the quicker driver over one lap and his tyre management, albeit aided by McLaren’s inherent tyre preservation supremacy, has seen him win exactly half of the races run so far.
Stella credits this to the work the 24-year-old has put, over the winter, to polish off his race craft.
“Over the winter, there’s been a very specific amount of work that has gone – [he] has paid attention to different areas. It’s been quite holistic,” he explained.
Webber’s key role role in Piastri’s development
Piastri’s rise in the paddock has been overseen by former Red Bull driver Mark Webber.
Acting not only as his manager but also as his mentor, Webber has been termed an instrumental figure in Piastri’s meteoric rise.
The nine-time Grand Prix winner is no stranger to intra-team politics and the pressures of driving for a team contending for a title after his stint with the Milton Keynes-based squad alongside Sebastian Vettel.
Webber has seemingly drawn on his own experiences to help Piastri cope with the challenges of fighting for his maiden championship.
“While Oscar is definitely the main one to praise for these developments, I would like to mention the team around Oscar,” highlighted Stella.
“His engineers and all the support from the factory with all the analysis – and even the team, Mark Webber, that works with Oscar.
“He’s definitely a great source of thoughts, insight and identification of opportunities. So, there’s quite a lot of work behind this progress. But ultimately, hats off to Oscar who has been able to capitalise.”
READ MORE — Oscar Piastri reveals how he is dealing with maiden F1 championship pressure
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