Oscar Piastri has set out his stall ahead of his home race and the season opener in Melbourne. The young Australian is targeting a maiden Drivers’ Championship title in his third year in the sport.
Piastri was forced to play a support role during the second half of the 2024 campaign, helping team-mate Lando Norris in his battle with Max Verstappen. Ultimately, the Brit fell agonisingly short.
For the Melbourne-born driver, the season was a mixed one. He scored points in all but one race, completed every lap of the season – something only Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Micheal Schumacher have done before – and recorded his first two Grand Prix victories.
However, Piastri did struggle relative to Norris in terms of outright speed. The 23-year-old was there to pick up the pieces when his team-mate faltered, but generally, the Brit had the upper hand. He finished 82 points clear in the standings and beat the Australian 20-4 in qualifying.
Piastri has addressed his issues, though, and believes he could dethrone Verstappen. “I want to win the world championship this year,” he said. “We are starting on a clean slate and I do think that I can become world champion this year.
“I feel like 12 months ago I was going into the season still with some weaknesses that I wasn’t particularly confident with. I think through last season, I addressed them.”
Piastri was involved in the launch of McLaren’s new F1 car on Thursday. The MCL39 took to the track at Silverstone in a one-off camouflage livery, with the challenger’s true identity to be revealed at the F1 75 Live event in London next week.
“We’ve not stood still,” he continued. “There’s some things that are different, some new innovations on this car and that’s what you need to do to try and stay at the top.
“I think also through last season, we came out on top in the Constructors’ Championship but it was so tight throughout the whole season, so you really can’t afford to stand still. There’s a lot of teams waiting to try and overtake us.
“I am definitely going into this year with the aim and preparation for trying to challenge for a championship, and trying to challenge for both championships. Winning Grands Prix early in my career has given me the taste for success, and I want much more.”
