Oscar Piastri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oscar Piastri
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Piastri at the 2024 British Grand Prix
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Oscar Jack Piastri
6 April 2001 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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| Awards | Full list |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Car number | 81 |
| Entries | 51 (51 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 14 |
| Career points | 488 |
| Pole positions | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 4 |
| First entry | 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| First win | 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2025 Spanish Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2019 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 2024 position | 4th (292 pts) |
| Previous series | |
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| Championship titles | |
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| Signature | |
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Oscar Jack Piastri (born April 6, 2001) is an Australian racing driver. He competes in Formula One for the McLaren team. Piastri has won five Formula One Grands Prix in his career so far.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Piastri started racing remote-controlled cars. He then moved to karting when he was nine years old. He began racing in junior series in 2016. Piastri won his first championship in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup with R-ace GP. After that, he won the FIA Formula 3 and FIA Formula 2 championships one after the other with Prema. He became only the sixth driver to win the GP2/Formula 2 title in their first season. Piastri is the only driver ever to win Formula Renault, Formula Three, and Formula Two championships in a row.
Piastri was part of the Alpine Academy from 2020 to 2022. He joined McLaren in 2023 to race alongside Lando Norris. This happened after a disagreement about his contract with Alpine. He made his Formula One debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix. He earned his first podium finish in his first season at the Japanese Grand Prix Grand Prix. Piastri continued with McLaren in 2024. He achieved his first Formula One victory in Hungary. This made him the fifth Australian driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix. He won again in Azerbaijan. In 2025, he has achieved three more victories. He also earned his first pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix Grand Prix. He is currently in a close battle for the championship with his teammate, Lando Norris.
As of the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Piastri has achieved five race wins. He also has two pole positions, four fastest laps, and 14 podium finishes in Formula One. Piastri has a contract to stay with McLaren until at least the end of the 2028 season.
Contents
About Oscar Piastri
Early Life and Family
Oscar Jack Piastri was born on April 6, 2001, in Melbourne, Australia. His parents are Chris and Nicole Piastri. He grew up in Brighton with his three younger sisters. Oscar has Italian, Yugoslavian, and Chinese heritage from his father's side. From his mother's side, he has Scottish and Irish heritage. When he was 14, Piastri moved alone to Hertford, England. He did this to continue his racing career. He attended Haileybury College Melbourne and then Haileybury and Imperial Service College in England. His father, Chris, was Oscar's mechanic in his early racing years in Australia. Chris Piastri also founded HP Tuners, a company that makes software for car diagnostics.
Hobbies and Interests
Piastri is a big fan of the Australian rules football team Richmond. He also supports the Australian national cricket team. In the IPL, he follows the Delhi Capitals. He chose this team after asking for recommendations on his X profile. As of July 2024, Piastri is dating Lily Zneimer. She is an engineering graduate whom he met during his school years. They started dating the year before Piastri finished school in 2019.
Oscar's Racing Journey
Starting in Karting (2011–2016)
Piastri first raced remote-controlled cars at a national level. He then began his karting career in 2011. By 2014, he was racing professionally in Australia. The next year, he started competing in European karting championships. In 2016, he moved to the United Kingdom to focus more on racing. He finished sixth in the 2016 World Championship in Bahrain.
Formula 4 (2016–2017)
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In early 2016, Piastri got his first big sponsorship from HP Tuners. This company, owned by his father, helped fund his racing. Their logo was on his racing suit and car in later series. Later in 2016, Piastri made his debut in single-seater cars. He raced in some rounds of the Formula 4 UAE Championship. He earned two podium finishes and placed sixth overall. In September 2022, Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner said he missed a chance to sign Piastri. This was during Piastri's Formula 4 years. In 2017, Piastri joined the TRS Arden Junior Racing Team for the British F4 championship. He won six races and six pole positions. He finished as the runner-up to Jamie Caroline.
Formula Renault 2.0 (2017–2019)
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In 2018, Piastri started racing in the Formula Renault Eurocup with Arden. He achieved three podiums, with his best finish being second place at Hockenheim. He ended the season in ninth place. In December 2018, it was announced that Piastri would switch to R-ace GP for the 2019 championship. He won his first race in the series at Silverstone. He won again at the same track the next day. He became the first driver to win three races in 2019 after winning at Spa-Francorchamps in July. He became the champion after winning and finishing fourth at the final race in Yas Marina.
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FIA Formula 3 (2020)
In October 2019, Piastri tested with Prema Racing, a top team in FIA Formula 3. In January 2020, Prema signed Piastri for the upcoming season. He raced alongside Logan Sargeant and Frederik Vesti. Piastri started third in his first race at the Red Bull Ring. He crashed with pole-sitter Sebastián Fernández at the first corner but avoided damage. He went on to win the race. Piastri said he thought his first Formula 3 race was over in the first 10 seconds. He then had three second-place finishes in a row. These were at both Hungaroring races and the first Silverstone feature race. His first retirement of the season happened at the next Silverstone sprint race. A stuck DRS forced him to stop. His teammate Sargeant took the lead in the championship from Piastri. This happened after Piastri had problems in qualifying. Piastri started fifth for the sprint race in Barcelona. He overtook many cars to take the lead by the end of the first lap. He held his position to win his second race.
Piastri got the championship lead back after finishing fifth at the Spa-Francorchamps feature race. But he lost it again after getting a penalty for an illegal overtake in the sprint race. Piastri was penalized in qualifying at Monza for blocking Jake Hughes. He started the feature race in 15th place. He climbed to third place by the end of the race. He benefited from Sargeant being in a crash. This helped him retake the championship lead. Piastri had to stop in the sprint race after being hit by Clément Novalak. He also got a five-place grid penalty for the next race. This was for forcing David Beckmann off the track earlier. Despite his retirement, Piastri kept the championship lead. This was because his teammates crashed into each other. Piastri started 16th for the final feature race at the Mugello Circuit. He did not score points, finishing 11th. His rival Sargeant finished sixth. This left both drivers tied on 160 points before the final race. Sargeant started the sprint race six places ahead of Piastri. But he was out after a crash on the first lap. Piastri's only other rival, Théo Pourchaire, could not catch him. Piastri finished seventh to win the championship title. He was three points ahead of Pourchaire and four ahead of Sargeant.
FIA Formula 2 (2021)
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In December 2020, Piastri announced he would continue with Prema Racing in Formula 2. He replaced Mick Schumacher and partnered with Ferrari Driver Academy member Robert Shwartzman for the 2021 season. Piastri finished fifth in his first race. In the second race, Piastri started sixth. He gained places and then overtook fellow Alpine junior Zhou Guanyu on the last lap to win his first Formula 2 race. Piastri started the feature race from eighth place. He passed many cars to take the lead by lap 13 of 32. He later had to retire after touching Dan Ticktum and spinning with two laps left. Piastri finished second twice in a row at the Monaco round. This put him in second place in the championship behind Zhou. Piastri retired from the first sprint race in Baku after a first-lap crash. But he finished second in the feature race. He earned pole position at Silverstone. He took the lead of the championship after finishing sixth in the first sprint race. After the fourth round, he led the championship by five points over Zhou.
At Monza, Piastri won his first feature race in the series. This included a battle on lap 25 with Zhou. He increased his championship lead with another pole and win at Sochi. Piastri became the second driver that season, after Jüri Vips, to win two races in the same weekend. He finished first in Jeddah's second sprint race. He was leading when the feature race was stopped. The Australian secured the title with a podium finish in race one at Yas Marina. This made him the third driver to win the championship in their first season. He ended his season with a win in the feature race, his fourth in a row. This meant Piastri had won six races, more than any other driver that season. With his championship, Piastri joined a special group of drivers. This group includes Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hülkenberg, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell. They are the only drivers to win the GP2/F2 title in their first seasons. He also became only the fifth driver, after Hamilton, Hülkenberg, Leclerc, and Russell, to win the GP3/F3 title and then the GP2/F2 title the next year. He is the first driver ever to win Formula Renault, Formula Three, and Formula Two championships in a row.
Formula One Career
Renault / Alpine Test Driver (2020–2022)
In January 2020, Piastri joined the Renault Sport Academy. This was three months after he won the Formula Renault Eurocup. He had his first test with Renault after winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship that year. He drove nearly 500 km (310 mi) in the R.S.18 at Sakhir. He stayed with the re-named Alpine Academy in 2021. He tested the A521 at the Yas Marina post-season test. He also tested the R.S.18 again at Silverstone and Monza.
After winning the FIA Formula 2 title, Piastri became the reserve driver for Alpine for their 2022 season. He was also available to be a reserve driver for McLaren due to an agreement between the teams. He completed about 3,000 km (1,900 mi) of private tests in the A521 throughout the season. This was part of an "intense" training program. Before the São Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix, he completed a private two-day test for McLaren at Paul Ricard in the MCL35M. He then took part in post-season testing in the MCL36. He did his final rookie test with McLaren over two days at Barcelona-Catalunya.
2022 Contract Dispute
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In June 2022, Piastri was offered a seat with Williams for 2023. This was a two-year loan from Alpine. Alpine was expected to keep Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. In August, Alonso announced he would replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin. Alpine then announced that Piastri would be Alonso's replacement. This press release did not include any comments from Piastri himself. Two hours later, he denied their announcement on Twitter. He stated he had not signed a contract and would not drive for them in 2023. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer criticized his actions and "integrity." He said he expected loyalty from Piastri and threatened legal action. It soon became clear that Piastri was talking with McLaren instead.
I understand that, without my agreement, [Alpine] have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.
A hearing with the FIA Contract Recognition Board (CRB) started four weeks later. They needed to decide if Piastri was contracted to Alpine or if he was a free agent. If Alpine won, Piastri might have had to fulfill the contract or an interested team would need to pay a fee. Before the Dutch Grand Prix Grand Prix, the CRB ruled against Alpine. McLaren immediately announced that Piastri would join them instead. The CRB's final decision showed that Piastri had signed his McLaren contract almost a month before Alpine's announcement. This was on July 4, the day after the British Grand Prix Grand Prix. He was first only guaranteed a reserve role. This changed after Daniel Ricciardo's contract was ended the week before the CRB hearing. Piastri later said a "breakdown in trust" between him and Alpine was why he decided to leave.
McLaren (2023–Present)
2023: First Season in F1
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Piastri joined McLaren in 2023, replacing Daniel Ricciardo and partnering with Lando Norris. In his first race at the Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix, Piastri qualified eighteenth. He later retired from twelfth place due to an electrical problem. In Saudi Arabia, he started eighth. He then dropped out of the points after damaging his front wing in a first-lap crash with Pierre Gasly. He scored his first points at his home Grand Prix in Australia, finishing eighth after starting sixteenth. He finished outside the points in Azerbaijan (eleventh) and Miami (nineteenth). He had contact with Alexander Albon in Azerbaijan and reliability issues in Miami. He earned a point in Monaco by finishing tenth. This was followed by three more races without points—in Spain, Canada, and Austria. Major car upgrades for the British Grand Prix Grand Prix helped Piastri qualify third and finish fourth. He then finished fifth in Hungary. He qualified second for the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race. He kept that position after battling Max Verstappen for the lead. He retired from the main race after a first-corner crash with Carlos Sainz Jr.. Piastri then finished ninth at the Dutch Grand Prix Grand Prix. In Italy, he finished twelfth after getting damage from Lewis Hamilton. He set his first fastest lap after a pit stop. He qualified seventeenth in Singapore after a red flag. He recovered to finish seventh. He finished third after starting on the front-row at the Japanese Grand Prix Grand Prix. This made him the first rookie to get a podium since Lance Stroll in 2017. He then took pole position for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race. He held off Verstappen to win his first sprint victory. He finished second in the main race, having started sixth. He retired from the United States Grand Prix Grand Prix after a crash with Esteban Ocon. He finished eighth in Mexico City. He got first-lap damage and finished fourteenth in São Paulo. He ended his first season with tenth and sixth-place finishes in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. He qualified third in Abu Dhabi. Piastri finished ninth in the World Drivers' Championship with two podiums and 97 points. His results led to a new contract with McLaren until at least the end of 2026.
2024: First Wins
Piastri started his 2024 season with an eighth-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix. He then had fourth-place finishes in Saudi Arabia and Australia. He finished eighth again at both the Japanese and Chinese Grands Prix. In Miami, McLaren became strong challengers to Red Bull. Piastri dropped to thirteenth after a crash while battling Carlos Sainz Jr. for second place. His teammate Lando Norris won that race. Piastri qualified second at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Grand Prix. He was moved down to fifth due to a grid penalty for blocking Kevin Magnussen. He finished fourth. Piastri qualified and finished second to Charles Leclerc at the Monaco Grand Prix Grand Prix. He then finished fifth and seventh at the Canadian and Spanish Grands Prix. He finished second in both the sprint and main race at the Austrian Grand Prix Grand Prix. In Britain, he moved up to second from fifth in the wet conditions. A late switch to intermediate tyres dropped him to fourth. He fractured a rib during the Grand Prix due to a bad seat fit. This injury lasted until the summer break. Piastri qualified second for the Hungarian Grand Prix Grand Prix. He overtook teammate Norris into the first corner. McLaren then allowed Norris to undercut him and later ordered a position-swap. Norris allowed Piastri to pass with two laps left. Piastri then claimed his first victory. This made him the fifth Australian to win a Formula One Grand Prix. Norris said the result was "fair" and "honest," admitting he lost the race at the start. Piastri finished second in Belgium after George Russell was disqualified. This promoted Piastri to fourth in the standings, ahead of Sainz. He then finished fourth at the Dutch Grand Prix Grand Prix. He led most of the Italian Grand Prix Grand Prix after passing Norris on the first lap. But a strategy mistake led him to finish second to Leclerc, who made only one pit stop. Qualifying second to Leclerc in Azerbaijan, Piastri won another race after a long battle for the lead. He then finished third in Singapore. He finished fifth at the United States Grand Prix Grand Prix. Eighth-place finishes at the Mexico City and São Paulo Grands Prix followed. This included a second-place finish at the latter sprint after being told to let Norris win. He finished seventh in Las Vegas after a false start penalty. Norris returned the favor at the chequered flag for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint, allowing Piastri to win. Piastri then finished third in the main race. He finished the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Grand Prix in tenth place after a first-lap crash with Max Verstappen. Piastri ended the season fourth in the World Drivers' Championship with 292 points. He had two victories from eight podiums. He helped McLaren win their first World Constructors' Championship since 1998.
2025: Competing for the Title
McLaren started 2025 as favorites to win the championship. Piastri was expected to challenge his teammate Lando Norris for the World Drivers' Championship. Three days before his season began, McLaren announced a new contract for Piastri until at least the end of the 2028 season. He qualified on the front row for the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix Grand Prix, behind Norris. He challenged Norris for the lead but spun in wet conditions, finishing ninth. After finishing second in the sprint race, he earned his first pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix Grand Prix. He dominated the race ahead of Norris to claim his first victory of the season. He finished third in Japan behind Max Verstappen and Norris. Piastri took pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix. He cruised to a 15-second win, moving within three points of Norris. He won again in Saudi Arabia. This made him the first Australian to lead the World Drivers' Championship since 2010. He finished second in the Miami Grand Prix sprint race after a late safety car put him behind Norris. He then won the main race. On pole for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Grand Prix, he finished third after Verstappen overtook him at the first corner and a strategy mistake. He won the Spanish Grand Prix Grand Prix after starting on pole. He finished fourth at the following Canadian Grand Prix Grand Prix. In that race, his teammate and championship rival Norris tried to overtake him but crashed out. He finished second in Austria after a race-long battle with Norris. He narrowly avoided another crash after locking his brakes at Rauch. Piastri led the early parts of the British Grand Prix. But he braked suddenly at the end of the second safety car period. He received a ten-second penalty for this. He had to give the lead to his teammate Norris and finished second.
Driver Skills
Staying Calm Under Pressure
Experts have noticed Piastri's ability to stay calm when racing is intense. In 2023, Scott Mitchell-Malm from The Race compared his "relaxed intensity" to that of Max Verstappen. After winning the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Luke Smith of The New York Times said that "stress isn’t an emotion one would associate with Piastri. His calm, collected demeanor has been present right from his junior days." This quality made several journalists list him as a favorite for the 2025 World Drivers' Championship after the Bahrain Grand Prix Grand Prix. Martin Brundle even compared him to the legendary driver Alain Prost. Andrew Benson of BBC Sport stated that "combining consistent speed [with] mental solidity and racing decisiveness [makes him] a formidable rival." After winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Grand Prix, his championship rival Verstappen said, "he's very calm in his approach, and I like that. [...] He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes—and that's what you need when you want to fight for a championship."
Learning and Improving
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Piastri is also praised for how well he adapts. His race engineer Tom Stallard has complimented his ability to spot mistakes during a race and fix them without needing to look at data. His skill at quickly learning from errors was first noticed by his engineer in the F4 UAE Championship. Sky Sports called his first season "very impressive." They noted that he needed to improve his tire management. He was recognized for improving his race pace throughout 2024. He won his first races in Hungary and Azerbaijan. Luke Smith of The New York Times described the Azerbaijan win as a "coming-of-age drive." By 2025, Jake Boxall-Legge of Autosport believed that Piastri had fixed the tire management and qualifying speed issues he had in his earlier seasons.
Awards and Honours
Formula One Awards
- FIA Rookie of the Year: 2023
- Lorenzo Bandini Trophy: 2025
Other Awards
- FIA Rookie of the Year: 2021
- Autosport Awards Rookie of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2023
- Best Driver ESPY Award nominee: 2025
- Anthoine Hubert Award: 2021
- Sir Jack Brabham Award: 2020, 2021, 2024
- Joe Tandy Memorial Trophy: 2017
- Victorian Sports Awards Young Athlete of the Year: 2021
Racing Career Summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
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| 2016–17 | Formula 4 UAE Championship | Dragon F4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 94 | 6th |
| 2017 | F4 British Championship | TRS Arden Junior Team | 30 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 376.5 | 2nd |
| Formula Renault Northern European Cup | Arden Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 21st | |
| 2018 | Formula Renault Eurocup | Arden Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 110 | 8th |
| Formula Renault Northern European Cup | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | N/A | NC† | ||
| 2019 | Formula Renault Eurocup | R-ace GP | 19 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 320 | 1st |
| 2020 | FIA Formula 3 Championship | Prema Racing | 18 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 164 | 1st |
| Formula One | Renault DP World F1 Team | Test driver | |||||||
| 2021 | FIA Formula 2 Championship | Prema Racing | 23 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 252.5 | 1st |
| Formula One | Alpine F1 Team | Test driver | |||||||
| 2022 | Formula One | BWT Alpine F1 Team | Reserve driver | ||||||
| McLaren F1 Team | |||||||||
| 2023 | Formula One | McLaren F1 Team | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 97 | 9th |
| 2024 | Formula One | McLaren F1 Team | 24 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 292 | 4th |
| 2025 | Formula One | McLaren F1 Team | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 99* | 1st* |
| Source: | |||||||||
† As Piastri was a guest driver, he was not eligible for championship points.
* Season still in progress.
See also
In Spanish: Oscar Piastri para niños
