Oscar Piastri has queried the McLaren run plan that he suspects had a role in him missing out on pole position in Sprint Qualifying at Formula 1‘s Chinese Grand Prix.

Having won the opening race in Australia, McLaren’s status as the team to beat was consolidated as Lando Norris led Piastri in the sole practice session in Shanghai.

However, McLaren was beaten to pole position for tomorrow’s Sprint race as errors from Norris and Piastri enabled Lewis Hamilton to capitalise to put Ferrari on top.

READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton grabs Chinese GP Sprint Race pole

Norris committed mistakes on both of his attempts in SQ3 to be resigned to sixth, while Piastri, who had been on provisional pole, couldn’t improve on his second lap.

Piastri has claimed McLaren’s decision to send both drivers out for two timed runs rather than the singular-lap strategy its rivals employed proved counter-productive.

“I think probably quick at the wrong points of it, unfortunately,” the Australian, who got bumped down to third amid Max Verstappen’s last-gap run to second, reflected.

“Yeah, SQ1 and SQ2 felt good, then SQ3 we tried something a bit different and went out much earlier and tried two laps, which I’m not sure was the best thing in the end.

“But I think it’s something we need to have a look at.

“But the pace in the car is still very strong and I’m still confident to fight from third tomorrow.”

The ‘interesting challenge’ impacting teams in China

Piastri highlighted how the relaid asphalt at the Shanghai International Circuit has added to the complications the drivers have had to contend with upon F1’s return.

“It’s been difficult,” he conceded. “I think with the track surface, it’s got a lot of grip, but it’s peaky.

“I think it’s been pretty tough all day to keep on top of the car.

“Honestly, I think we did a good job of trying to tame it for Sprint Quali, just maybe got the run plan a bit wrong.

“It’s been an interesting challenge, the grip has been a lot better than last season which is nice. But some things we can do better tomorrow.”

READ MORE – Lando Norris laments ‘too difficult’ McLaren after China Sprint qualifying errors

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Oscar Piastri has insisted that McLaren’s stance on team orders remains “clear”, despite being told not to overtake Lando Norris in Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix.

Piastri experienced heartbreak on home soil last weekend as a probable podium slipped through his grasp when he span with 13 laps to go in changeable conditions.

The Australian, who recovered to ninth, had still been in contention to win the race prior to that moment as he was running behind team-mate Norris in a McLaren 1-2.

Piastri had spied his chance earlier in the race to pass Norris as he pumped in successive fastest laps as the track dried to cut the gap down to less than one second.

But while McLaren approached the campaign adamant that both drivers would be allowed to race, Piastri’s race engineer Tom Stallard instructed him to hold position.

Piastri obliged, with McLaren boss Andrea Stella explaining how concern over navigating lapped cars and an uncertain weather radar triggered the side’s intervention.

The home hero divulged that he intended to hold discussions with the team about the situation, but he denied suggestions that the call was made to prioritise Norris.

“I think today’s race and the circumstances were pretty extreme,” Piastri told media including Motorsport Week.

“We were approaching back markers, one dry line, not knowing if there was going to be rain to come.

“So I’ll speak to the team and try and understand better what the thinking was, but I think it’s always clear that those kind of calls can come in either direction.”

Piastri suggests Australia win was improbable

The decision would be rendered irrelevant to the eventual race outcome as Piastri becoming beached in the grass on Lap 44 resigned him to a damage limitation run.

Piastri has indicated that he would have struggled to overhaul Norris regardless, though, admitting that his mid-race charge had seen him use up the grip on his tyres.

“Yeah, we were holding position before that,” he added.

“I think by the time we were free to race I kind of killed my front left a little bit getting to the back of Lando, so by that point there wasn’t much I could do.

“So I think that was probably a pretty minor moment in today’s race.”

McLaren denies intervention impacted Piastri

As Piastri alluded to, McLaren had permitted him to race Norris, but a wide moment at Turn 6 handed the Briton, who would go on to secure the win, breathing room.

Asked whether the previous instruction had upset Piastri’s momentum, Brown told Sky Sports F1: “I don’t think that had anything to do with it.

“We- Andrea and I on the pit wall – actually just kind of released him to go racing, and we just wanted to make sure we cleared the traffic.

“So that was a hold for a moment, and then it looked like he dropped a wheel and then fell back a bit of a gap.

“But I just think they were pushing really hard in very tricky conditions.”

READ MORE – McLaren reveals Lando Norris won F1 Australian GP with ‘badly damaged’ floor

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McLaren boss Andrea Stella has backed Oscar Piastri to bounce back from the disappointment that he endured at his home race in Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix.

Piastri appeared a certain bet to achieve a dream podium on his third F1 appearance on home soil as McLaren was dominating proceedings at the Albert Park Circuit.

The Australian had been running second behind team-mate Lando Norris when a rain shower hit the final sector on Lap 44, causing both drivers to go wide at Turn 12.

But while Norris managed to collect his McLaren, Piastri’s moment pitched him into a slow spin at the penultimate corner that saw him become stranded in the grass.

Piastri did get going again and recovered several spots later on – which included a brave last-lap overtake around Lewis Hamilton’s outside at Turn 9 – to salvage ninth.

However, Stella admitted that McLaren losing out on a 1-2 at the season-opening race placed a dampener on Norris overcoming a late Max Verstappen charge to win.

“It’s definitely mixed feelings, because until the moment where both drivers hit this sudden rain in the last sector, Oscar and Lando were driving brilliantly,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.

“And effectively, Oscar just paid a bigger price than Lando with the going off track and then not being able to come out of the grass.”

McLaren praises Piastri in mixed conditions

Piastri lamented the mistake that smudged a blemish on an encouraging weekend which had seen him run his team-mate close both over a single lap and in the race.

Stella praised both the speed and calmness in which Piastri negotiated the changeable conditions up until that point, though, and believes success will come his way.

“But I think Oscar today was deserving to be in contention for the victory until the last moment,” he expressed. “And he drove exceptionally well. 

“When I use the verb driving, that’s not only driving the car around the track, but it’s also the kind of assessment of the conditions, of the decisions that we should have taken. 

“He was very lucid, very calm, and he’s starting his year three in Formula 1, but he looks like one of the most expert drivers that I’ve worked with.

“So, extremely impressed by Oscar today, just a little bit unlucky. 

“Extremely impressed through how the weekend, you know, first row locked in by McLaren. 

“I already explained yesterday the importance of how much the drivers supported each other through the weekend by learning from each other.

“And I think some of the lap times we saw and the gaps we saw in qualifying are the derivation of this interaction between our two drivers. 

“I think if the car keeps performing at this level of competitiveness, big satisfactions for Oscar are not far in time.”

McLaren backs Piastri to rebound

Stella is certain that Piastri’s tremendous mental resilience will ensure the disappointment won’t have an abiding impact on him at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.

“I just met Oscar here for a very quick moment and I just told him that he will have many satisfactions this year, because he is fast and the car seems to be fast,” he added.

“So today was just an unlucky race.

“The good thing with Oscar is that you don’t have to do much of the psychological exercise of convincing him not to get too upset with himself or with the situation.

“He is one of the mentally strongest drivers that I’ve ever met. So I’m sure in China he will be back and very soon he will have important results.”

READ MORE – Oscar Piastri ‘proud’ despite ‘unbelievable’ F1 Australian GP heartbreak

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McLaren has explained how the presence of backmarkers and an uncertain weather radar caused the team to issue team orders in Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix.

Having resisted Max Verstappen’s initial threat, McLaren was in a dominant position as Lando Norris led Oscar Piastri with a considerable gap to the Red Bull behind.

But as the track dried approaching half distance, Piastri emerged as a genuine threat to his team-mate as he closed to within the one-second window to activate DRS.

However, McLaren intervened to tell Piastri to maintain position behind Norris, much to the Australian’s displeasure as he expressed that he was quicker at that stage.

The Woking-based squad’s decision went against the standpoint that it had communicated in the lead-up to the season that the two drivers would be allowed to race.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has divulged that concern about navigating lapped cars ahead and the threat of more rain descending prompted the team to take action.

“So, during the race, at some stage, we had to go relatively soon through some backmarkers, while the cars were close together and the conditions on track were still a little tricky with Intermediates tyres that were running down a bit in terms of their rubber on,” Stella told media including Motorsport Week.

“And at the same time, we were receiving some updates on the weather forecast.

“So, we had the going through the backmarkers and the update on the weather forecast that led us to close for a short period of time the internal racing between our two drivers until we had clarity as to the weather prediction, what this meant for how we should have used the tyres, and then until we had closed the matter of overtaking the backmarkers.

“So, once this was completed and the weather was assessed, then we reopened the racing.”

McLaren wanted to limit holding pattern period

Stella has insisted that McLaren was eager to limit the holding pattern to a limited time in order to give Piastri an adequate chance to pursue a race win on home soil.

“The drivers were aware when we gave the team order to hold positions, and then they were aware when we told them to be free to race,” he elucidated.

“And in the meantime, I left to review the communications with the drivers, but for drivers, we didn’t even know ourselves how long this period would have been until the weather forecast had become a little clearer. So, we just tried to keep this period as short as possible, and the drivers know that this is the case, so we don’t want to make it unnecessarily long.”

Piastri mistake vindicated McLaren decision

McLaren did reverse its stance on permitting the duo to race, but that arrived once Piastri had dropped back having dipped a wheel in the gravel going through Turn 6.

Stella believes the two-time F1 race winner’s minor mistake vindicated the squad’s choice to prohibit him from making an earlier push to challenge Norris for the lead.

“I think in terms of retaining a consistent pace at that stage of the races, it was difficult, which is also one of the reasons why we wanted to pause the internal competition for a few laps, because both drivers were making little mistakes here and there because I think as soon as you were putting the tyres on a slightly more wet portion, then you may have a sudden oversteer, you may have a little lock-up because the front left was already quite worn,” Stella elaborated.

“So I don’t know exactly what kind of issues he might have had in terms of pace in this phase of the race, but I suspect that it might have to do with these little issues that pushing at that level in those conditions, I’ve seen regularly on either of the drivers.”

READ MORE – McLaren reveals Lando Norris won F1 Australian GP with ‘badly damaged’ floor

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McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was “proud” of his Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix performance despite an “unbelievable” late off ruining his chances at a podium.

Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris were the class of the field at Albert Park this weekend, locking out the front row and running first and second for the majority of Sunday’s race.

But mixed conditions bit the Aussie home hero hard as rain intervened after the field had switched onto dry tyres.

On Lap 44, both McLaren drivers ran wide at Turn 12 as the rain worsened in the final sector with Piastri then going off and getting stuck in the grass at the penultimate corner, watching his hopes of a podium and the rest of the field pass him by.

READ MORE – Oscar Piastri not ‘kicking myself’ despite missing out on home F1 pole in Australia

“Yeah, tried to push a bit too much I guess,” a downbeat Piastri rued post-race in conversation with select media including Motorsport Week. 

“In those conditions it’s very difficult to judge just how slippery it’s going to be. 

“I think from one lap to the next it had really changed a lot and I could see Lando going off in front of me, but I was also already in the corner basically, so there wasn’t much I could do to slow myself down at that point. 

“And then once you’re in the gravel and the grass you obviously try to keep the car as straight as possible.

“Obviously to get stuck in the grass like that was pretty unbelievable, sat in the car, but I’ve only got myself to blame for being there, so it’s a shame.”

Despite that agonising setback, Piastri was able to recover to ninth place and score two points by the time the chequered flag fell.

“I knew that we had strong pace, I knew that I had strong pace,” he said. 

“I had some pretty good temperature in the tyres and was just able to capitalise on that, the car’s pace and my own confidence I think, so I’m glad that we at least got back up the points, but it should have been a lot more.”

Piastri taking positives amid home GP heartbreak

But for one fateful lap, Piastri’s Australian GP weekend was an impressive one.

It’s clear to see he has an incredible strong McLaren car at his disposal and less than a week until he arrives in China to put his Australia result to bed.

“I think for essentially 56 laps of today’s race, I was very proud of the job I did, the pace was really strong, and obviously disappointed with the mistake I made, but I think that doesn’t take away completely from how strong the whole weekend’s been, for not just the team, but for myself, I feel like I’ve done a good job all weekend, so I think it would be pessimistic of me to just write off the whole weekend because of one mistake,” Piastri said.

Acknowledging the MCL39, the clear pacesetter among F1’s 10 cars, Piastri added “I think one thing we wanted to do this year was start stronger than we’ve started the last two years, and I think today pretty emphatically showed that we mean business.”

Expect Piastri to return to the front in Shanghai next weekend.

READ MORE – Lando Norris survives late drama to win F1 Australian GP

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Lando Norris has confirmed McLaren will permit him and Oscar Piastri to race one another in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, but within “rules we cannot cross”.

McLaren surging to a front-row lock-out at the season-opening event in Melbourne has reignited the discussion around how the team will navigate using team orders.

The Woking-based squad received criticism in the previous campaign over a reluctance to prioritise Norris as he sought to catch eventual champion Max Verstappen.

McLaren’s indecision provided a damaging blow at Monza as Piastri’s brash opening-lap pass on Norris allowed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to beat them both to the win.

That triggered a rethink which culminated in Piastri ceding a Sprint victory to his team-mate in Brazil, although it came too late to salvage Norris’ doomed title pursuit.

With McLaren poised to have a car in the MCL39 that gives both drivers a shot at winning the Drivers’ Championship, Norris and Piastri will start 2025 on equal terms.

However, Norris has admitted that the duo, who have partnered together since 2023, have been told that more racing room must be given when battling the sister car.

“There’s obviously been discussions because we’re prepared,” Norris, who claimed pole position at the Albert Park Circuit, told media including Motorsport Week.

“We know we’re gonna have a lot more of this kind of thing over the course of the season.

“So, there are clearly rules we cannot cross. Both cars will always have to stay in the race and that kind of thing.

“We’re both competitors, that’s clear, we both want to fight for a win and fight for victories, that’s clear.

“But there’s just boundaries around the car. So, it’s just ‘[give] a little bit more space here and there’. But we’re free to race, we’re free to try and win races.

“What won us the Constructors’ last year was how we helped one another out and how we kept things clean and how there was order when there was needed to be.

“But a lot of that was very much later in the season and when external things were happening.

“At the minute there is none of that, so it’s good – we’re both excited and we’ll of course always have our morning talks, but we’ll wait and see.”

McLaren aims to maintain teamwork

Piastri, who is aiming to kickstart his title hopes with a win on home soil, agreed that the pair must not place their individual ambitions above McLaren’s ultimate goal.

“We’re free to race each other,” the Australian concurred. “I want to win as much as Lando does.

“I think in any team, not just McLaren, the number one rule is no contact. We must give each other space.

“If there are opportunities for either of us to take advantage of situations, we will. But ultimately, we are racing for the team. That’s important.

“We’ve said many times that the teamwork we showed last year helped us win the Constructors’. It’s important to recognise that fact.

“The car has been strong for a while, but also the team is very strong too. That’s as good as I can put it.”

McLaren in a ‘strong position’ to handle drivers

The teamwork that Piastri alluded to included Norris returning the Sprint win to him in Qatar, while the Briton also held up Sergio Perez to help him triumph in Baku.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella is convinced that such examples vindicate that the side is in a “strong position” to manage the two drivers heading into this campaign.

“In Formula 1, you have to take all the opportunities to see where you can create, if possible, an even stronger foundation,” Stella said earlier in the weekend.

“This goes from the technical level to the operational level, and also to the sporting and racing level, including the internal competition.

“We definitely, like any other team, have looked at what could have been done better and what we had done well last year. 

“Actually, we were quite proud of what we achieved, even in terms of internal competition, the respect, the relationship inside and outside the car, the head-to-head racing that happened at times between Lando and Oscar. 

“They offered a couple of situations that we reviewed together, but offered a large majority of how we wanted to see our two drivers work together, race together, and this actually gave us a good reference as to how we want to continue for the future.

“I think that was a very, very collaborative, supportive process, and I feel that we are entering this season in a very strong position.”

READ MORE – Oscar Piastri not ‘kicking myself’ despite missing out on home F1 pole in Australia

The post The racing rule McLaren has laid down to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in F1 2025 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Oscar Piastri has stated that he is not “kicking myself” despite missing out on pole position at Formula 1‘s Australian Grand Prix to McLaren team-mate Lando Norris.

McLaren entered the opening qualifying session of 2025 billed as the side to beat and delivered on that tag as it secured a front row lockout at the Albert Park Circuit.

However, the Woking-based squad’s drivers almost opened the door to the team’s rivals as mistakes on their initial tours in Q3 had them languishing fourth and 10th.

Piastri ran deep at the penultimate corner on his opening attempt in the top-10 shootout, while Norris exceeded track limits at Turn 4 and had his lap time invalidated.

Norris attributed his error to McLaren’s MCL39 car being more challenging to drive when the fuel load is lightened – an assessment his team-mate has concurred with.

“Yeah, I went a bit deep into Turn 11,” Piastri recalled to media including Motorsport Week.

“With these tyres, with the hot temperature, as soon as you slide them a little bit or get them dirty, they drop off a lot.

“I struggled a lot with the last sector and then went off at the second-last corner. That’s the fine line around here.

“I think that’s been a little bit of a struggle with our car so far – it’s been quick, but it bites at times.

“I’m pretty happy with the job I did, and I’ll go back and see where it could have been a little bit better.”

Piastri not downbeat by missed pole chance

Piastri recovered on his second timed run in Q3, however, to produce a lap that was more than four-tenths quicker than the original benchmark from Max Verstappen.

But Piastri becoming the debut Australian driver to claim an F1 pole on home soil was not to be as team-mate Norris usurped him right at the death to claim top spot.

“It was pretty good. I was happy with it,” Piastri reviewed.

“This weekend I’ve been happy with the laps we’ve been putting in and how I have been executing them apart from the first lap of Q3.

“But apart from that, I’ve been happy with how I’ve driven.

“I think the last lap, there’s nothing I’m majorly kicking myself about. The gap is very tight, obviously, and I just needed that little bit more.”

Piastri denied he was downbeat at having come up 0.084 seconds short, though, citing that he was pleased with his execution amid his troubles over one lap in 2024.

“I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed because I feel like I did a job I’m happy with,” he added.

“If I was sitting here thinking, ‘I had another two-tenths in hand, and I blew it’, then I’d be pretty upset.

“But I feel like I’ve executed well this weekend. That’s all I can ask of myself.

“There are always things to improve and do better, and I’ll try to look at those, but ultimately, I’m happy with how I’ve driven this weekend.”

Piastri using home support as motivation

Piastri expressed that McLaren harbours optimism it can convert its starting grid advantage in tomorrow’s race, providing that the expected rain doesn’t wreak havoc.

Asked to give his take on McLaren’s race pace, Piastri said: “Pretty happy. Yesterday felt quite good. If it’s dry, then I think we’re in a good place.

“If it’s wet, it’s very difficult to tell. There are a lot of places that can catch you out here.

“There are a few corners that in the dry are not corners, that are very much corners in the rain. It becomes a fair bit trickier.

“And then you’ve got white lines everywhere, with it obviously being a road circuit. We’re pretty confident for tomorrow.”

Piastri retorted the notion that the chance to become the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1980 to win their home race has enlarged the pressure on his shoulders.

“In terms of pressure, honestly, I said in the lead-up that I was using it as support and not pressure, and that’s genuinely been the case,” he said.

“Of course, you want to start the season well and do well at home, those things are obvious, but I think I’ve done a good job of being strong and not letting that get in my head.

“I’m happy with how I’ve approached the weekend, how I’ve driven, and the support has been really special. The expectation is very minor compared to the support.”

READ MORE – Lando Norris pips Oscar Piastri as McLaren takes front row lockout in Australia

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McLaren has revealed that a desire to avoid potential distractions from rival Formula 1 teams showing interest in its drivers was behind the timing of Oscar Piastri’s renewal.

The Woking-based squad announced in the build-up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend that Piastri has put pen to paper on a fresh multi-term contract.

Piastri’s previous deal still had an additional two seasons to run, but McLaren has moved to tie down his services having agreed new terms with Lando Norris before last season.

Having missed out on luring Norris, Red Bull had been showing a growing interest in the Australian’s signature amid the speculation surrounding the future of Max Verstappen.

But as it strives to add to the Constructors’ title that it won in 2024 in the upcoming campaign, McLaren has sought to dispel rumours that either driver could move elsewhere.

“There wasn’t pressure either side,” Brown told select media including Motorsport Week.

“We know we want to have stability and visibility moving forward. That puts everyone in a great frame of mind. 

“And I think obviously people perform, bless you, at their optimum levels of performance when they’re not distracted. 

“We know this sport, there’s an element of teams trying to distract, and we just wanted to get well ahead. And we knew exactly what we wanted to do. 

“We’ve done a fantastic job. I think all drivers, all teams are always kind of constantly working to improve. 

“So is there room for improvement in Oscar? Absolutely. Is there room for improvement in Lando? Absolutely. Is there room for improvement in Andrea [Stella] and I? Absolutely. 

“And we’re going to do it together in this great team environment that we’ve created. So it was an easy decision.”

Piastri’s development made McLaren renewal logical

Piastri capitalised on McLaren’s mid-season surge in competitiveness last term to bag his maiden victories, culminating in the team winning a long-awaited championship.

McLaren boss Stella acknowledged how Piastri’s tangible rate of development since his debut in F1 made it a logical choice to commit to the Perth-born driver longer term. 

“Oscar has been in Formula 1 for two seasons,” Stella highlighted. “For somebody who’s been in Formula 1 for two seasons, the level at which he has driven, the level of maturity he has shown inside and outside of the car, has been no shorter than simply impressive. 

“And also we are World Champions because he delivered. Because being Constructors’ World Championship is just the sum of the points of the two drivers. 

“The trajectory we have observed in Oscar’s growth was very convincing. And at no point we saw that this trajectory had any sort of deviation from being very steep. 

“So for us, committing to Oscar was very natural. Like it was natural for Oscar to commit to McLaren. 

“And at no point there was any conversation around, if we don’t do this, something else. It was just very natural. 

“Like I’m insisting on this kind of attribute, because it was a natural derivation of the enjoyment we have of our collaboration, of how strong this collaboration is delivering. 

“The great relationships that we have overall, between our two drivers and the drivers contributing to lead the team. So it was just straightforward.”

Piastri ‘the perfect fit’ at McLaren

And although he has proven his worth on the track, Stella also highlighted how Piastri’s character aligns with the particular values that he has instilled within McLaren.

“So in addition to this capability to deliver that we saw in Oscar, and we saw in Oscar working together and so well together with Lando, Oscar is also a perfect fit from a cultural, behavioural point of view, which for us is a very important value to build the team on a strong foundation,” he said.

“So, like I said before, at least from my angle, it was very simple, very natural, and kind of just consequential to the vision for the team.

McLaren targeting sustained success

Brown, who has branded McLaren’s pairing the best on the whole grid, is convinced that a consistent line-up will bolster the team’s aim to achieve sustained success.

“I think our role, and my role, is to bring stability, visibility, longevity to our drivers, to our leadership, to our team, to our pit wall, to our sponsorship, to our HPP partnership, if you look at the great sports teams, usually stability and camaraderie is a key ingredient to long-term success, continued success, so drivers are obviously a huge element of that,” Brown elucidated.

“So, love the fact that sitting here today, I think our race team will look very similar for the foreseeable future, which will mean we should just be able to build on our success.”

READ MORE – Lando Norris rubbishes ‘short-sighted’ claims of McLaren advantage over F1 rivals

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To ward off interest from its Formula 1 rivals, McLaren will shell out a massive $20 million a year to Oscar Piastri with his new deal, according to a report.

Piastri’s former deal was approximately worth $6 million a year and ran until the end of 2026.

However, McLaren revealed on Wednesday morning in Australia, ahead of Piastri’s home Grand Prix, that he has received a multi-year extension.

This locks the Aussie to McLaren long-term and fends off interest from the likes of Red Bull with none other than Christian Horner expressing his admiration of Piastri in the latest season of Drive to Survive.

According to the Daily Mail, Piastri’s new deal is worth $20 million a year and supposedly features “accumulator clauses” that would see the Australian more year-on-year based on performances.

If the figure is valid, then Piastri is on a par financially to his team-mate Lando Norris, as well as Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso, who are both alleged to earn $20 million a year on their current contracts.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is F1’s highest earner with his salary reportedly worth $65 million per year.

Piastri explains mutual benefits behind McLaren extension

Piastri has made an instant impact on F1 during his first two seasons, taking podiums in his rookie campaign and his first two wins during his sophomore run in 2024.

His victories last year contributed to McLaren’s first Constructors’ title in 26 years and Piastri believes in light of that success “it made a lot of sense” for both parties to sign his new extension.

“It’s really exciting for me,” Piastri said of his new contract. “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.”

READ MORE – McLaren boasts amid Oscar Piastri extension: ‘We’ve got the best driver line-up in F1’

The post Oscar Piastri gains bumper salary increase with new McLaren F1 deal – report appeared first on Motorsport Week.

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.”

READ MORE – Oscar Piastri reveals mindset that is driving 2025 F1 title dream

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