Oscar Piastri narrowly missed out on the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship with McLaren, but he remains optimistic about his future with the team.
Piastri established himself quickly as the title frontrunner, showing tremendous consistency and level-headedness that put him ahead of his team-mate, Lando Norris.
Following the summer break, during which Norris suffered a DNF at the Dutch Grand Prix, Piastri’s championship gap sat at 34 points to Norris and 104 points to Max Verstappen.
However, Zandvoort was the last weekend of the season that the Australian would win, watching his hopes of becoming the first Australian F1 champion since 1980 slip away.
Piastri suffered a retirement in Baku, which was the championship leader’s first show of mistakes, and the beginning of his downfall.
Just three rounds after Azerbaijan, Norris took the championship lead in Mexico, which he held to the end of the season to land his maiden title.
By Abu Dhabi, Piastri has slipped even further to third in the championship order, taking the chequered flag 13 points behind his team-mate and 11 behind Verstappen.
It was an undoubtedly difficult season for the Australian, who came so close to reaching his dreams in F1. However, Piastri took the blow in his stride and set his sights ahead to 2026.
Speaking to Australian broadcaster 7Sport, he agreed his year had been a “rollercoaster”.
“Yeah, it definitely was. You know, looking back on it, on the whole, I’m very proud of what I achieved,” he said.
“Also, for the team to have a car and a season as strong as we did was a great success.”
First year in the title fight
McLaren took a coveted double championship, maintaining the Constructors’ Championship and Norris taking the Drivers’ crown.
For Piastri, who is still in the early stages of his F1 career with just three seasons of experience under his belt, 2025 was a season of growth.
“Obviously, [there were] a few bumps along the road and a few hurdles to get over, and plenty of lessons learned for the future,” he added.
With a significant regulation overhaul in 2026, levelling the playing field and Piastri taking steps forward, the Australian sees his situation with McLaren as a “nice place to be”.
“But to have the year we had, and to feel like there’s still plenty more progress to come, is a nice place to be,” he concluded.
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