Australia is back as F1’s season opener for the first time since 2020, the year the race was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the ‘first day back at school’ vibes have returned to Albert Park, bringing plenty of excitement—especially for Oscar Piastri, for two key reasons.
Firstly, as a Melbourne native, Piastri will be the hometown hero at the first race of the 2025 season. Secondly, he is one of the favorites to win the race.
Piastri, however, has remained cautiously optimistic, refusing to make bold predictions too early. While McLaren appeared to be the fastest team in pre-season, he knows those results must be taken with a pinch of salt. Not everyone runs at full potential before the campaign begins, and some rivals resort to sandbagging to conceal their true pace. In reality, the field could be bunched up together when the real deal begins.
To get a clearer picture of the pecking order, Piastri will wait for the lights to go out this weekend.
Ahead of the Australian GP, the McLaren driver shared his honest opinion on what he feels will be a competitive season. He told Sky Sports,
“It’s going to be a really tight season, we had a good test in Bahrain but you never know what everyone else is hiding and who’s got what until we get to this weekend. I’m expecting it to be just as tight as it was at the end of last season but hopefully, we can be in the mix from round one“.
Oscar gives his assessment of the weather as a local ️ pic.twitter.com/VWpQfHdMCp
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 12, 2025
Given that 2024 ended with them winning the Constructors’, McLaren should be right at the front from the start. They were already expected to be the fastest team before Bahrain testing, and after the MCL39’s strong showing in Sakhir, that belief appeared to be a certainty.
If Piastri does have the fastest car beneath him this weekend, he has a strong chance of becoming the first Australian to win an F1 race on home soil.
As for his rivals, Ferrari and Mercedes were ranked second and third fastest after testing, though the exact gap remained unclear. Piastri, however, expects it to be minimal.
With 2025 shaping up to be a fiercely competitive season—potentially featuring three teams in the title fight—Piastri will need to step up if McLaren hopes to defend its crown. And the team has shown full confidence in him, rewarding him with a contract extension ahead of his home race.
Piastri signs new long-term deal
Piastri made his F1 debut just two years ago but has already signed two contract extensions with McLaren.
After an impressive rookie season in 2023, he extended his stay until 2026. Now, after playing a crucial role in McLaren’s first title win since 1998, the team’s higher-ups have rewarded him with another extension.
Excited for many more years of this pic.twitter.com/O5Brwa1Ogi
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) March 11, 2025
Piastri will now rep the papaya colors until at least the 2028 season. “It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision,” he said earlier today.
“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 were growing rumors of Red Bull trying to lure Piastri away. Team Principal Christian Horner even admitted he regretted not signing the Australian when he had the chance. McLaren, perhaps feeling uneasy, didn’t want to risk losing their driver in the future.
