Oscar Piastri had his strongest Formula 1 season to date last year: How the McLaren driver’s self-confidence also changed significantly in the process
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has spoken openly about how a mental shift in the 2025 season changed his entire approach to Formula 1 and the decisive influence this change had on him.
In his third Formula 1 season, Piastri made the breakthrough to a new level of performance: third place overall, seven Grand Prix victories and nine podium finishes speak for themselves. By comparison, the Australian had finished the 2024 season in fourth place, with just two wins and six podium results.
In an interview with Quad Lock, the 25-year-old admits that the extent of this progress surprised him: “Overall, the step I took from 2024 to 2025 was probably bigger than I and quite a few others expected,” says Piastri.
Piastri knew: “Can win every weekend”
A key factor in this was a mental change. “It was a really cool thing to make this progress and go into the race weekends,” says the McLaren driver, hinting at how much his self-image as a candidate for victory has changed in particular.
“I think that was the first year in which I was able to go into every race weekend knowing that if I do my job well enough and get close to my potential, I can win every weekend,” adds the current sixth-placed driver in the world championship.
In previous years, there had always been individual weekends where this feeling was present, but never over the course of an entire season. “And at the same time, there was always this question: What do I need to learn or improve next?”
Oscar Piastri: “It’s a pretty cool situation”
This process is never finished. “You’re always trying to develop further,” emphasizes Piastri, who nevertheless felt a difference in 2025. “Being at a level where I could go into most weekends thinking: if I perform to what I’m capable of, I can win. That’s a pretty cool state to be in.”
The start to the 2026 Formula 1 season is now all the tougher, as Piastri has just 21 points to his name after the first three races. In Australia, he was unable to start at all after an accident on the reconnaissance lap, and in China he was stopped by a technical defect.
It was not until the Japanese Grand Prix that Piastri returned to racing action – and promptly finished second. It is therefore clear that the potential is still there, but the 2026 season will demand maximum resilience from the Australian early on.
