Oscar Piastri, born on April 6, 2001 in Melbourne, is an Australian Formula 1 driver who races for the McLaren F1 team. His teammate in 2026 is Lando Norris.

In 2026, Piastri gets another opportunity to fight for the world title. He continues at McLaren alongside Norris. After losing the 2025 title, McLaren CEO Zak Brown stated that Piastri is also a future world champion.

The 2026 season introduces a completely new car due to regulation changes. McLaren’s previous dominant package is replaced, and the team switches to a Mercedes power unit. How competitive this new combination will be remains to be seen.

Piastri made his debut in Formula 3 in 2020, immediately impressing by winning the opening race of the season and ultimately securing the championship. He was also inducted into Alpine’s junior programme (then known as the Renault Sport Academy). The following year, he stepped up to Formula 2, where he again dominated by winning the title in his rookie season.

The logical next step was Formula 1, but there was no seat available in 2021. There were plans for Piastri to be loaned out to Williams for one or two years before returning to Alpine, possibly as a replacement for Fernando Alonso. However, events unfolded differently.

Before making his Grand Prix debut, Piastri became involved in a legal dispute. Alpine intended to retain Alonso and place Piastri elsewhere temporarily, but Alonso instead signed with Aston Martin. Alpine then announced Piastri as their driver, but he denied the agreement, and it soon emerged he had signed with McLaren. The team bought out Daniel Ricciardo’s contract to make room for him. Alpine challenged the move, but the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board ruled in McLaren’s favour.

In his debut season with McLaren alongside Lando Norris, Piastri scored his first points in Australia and improved significantly after upgrades to the MCL60. He qualified second in both Belgium and Japan and secured his first podium at Suzuka. In Qatar, he claimed his first sprint race victory and finished second in the main race. He ended the season ninth in the championship with 97 points.

In 2024, Piastri delivered a strong second season. He took his first Grand Prix win in Hungary, a race marked by controversial team orders from McLaren, with Norris instructed to let him through late in the race. Later that season, he secured a second victory in Azerbaijan. His consistency earned him fourth place in the championship with 292 points, while he and Norris helped McLaren secure their first constructors’ title since 1998.

In 2025, Piastri again partnered Norris at McLaren. With a competitive car, he emerged as a serious title contender and stated early in the season that he believed he could become world champion.

For much of the season, that appeared realistic. Aside from Australia and Canada, he consistently finished on the podium and won six races in the first half of the year. Norris remained close by winning three of the final four races before the summer break.

Piastri started the second half strongly with a win in Zandvoort, while Norris retired. However, his form then dropped. In Italy, he finished third after giving a position back following a failed pit stop involving Norris. He retired in Azerbaijan and was involved in a crash with Norris during the sprint in the United States. He also missed the podium in Singapore, Mexico and Brazil. Norris took the championship lead.

The situation worsened after both McLaren drivers were disqualified in Las Vegas. Piastri found himself level on points with Max Verstappen, who had previously trailed by 104 points. He won the sprint race in Qatar and took pole for the Grand Prix, but a pit stop error allowed Verstappen to win. In the final race, Piastri finished second as Norris secured the title.

In 2025, Piastri was a genuine title contender for the first time. He entered the summer break leading the championship by nine points after winning six of the first fourteen races.

He also won the Dutch Grand Prix, but it proved to be his final victory of the season. A dip in form followed, including multiple crashes, allowing Norris and Verstappen to close in. His performance improved again in Qatar, but it came too late. Norris secured the title in Abu Dhabi, with Verstappen finishing second.

During the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Piastri and Verstappen made contact in the opening corner, resulting in a spin for Piastri and a ten-second penalty for Verstappen. After the race, Verstappen apologised and said: He is a friend of mine, so I don’t want any bad feelings going into the winter break. Piastri accepted the apology and noted that the penalty spoke for itself.

Piastri reportedly earns around €10 million in 2026. His net worth is estimated at approximately €22 million.

Piastri is in a relationship with Lily Zneimer. The Australian driver has been with the student for several years, and she regularly attends races to support him.

Oscar Piastri was born in Melbourne, close to Albert Park, the venue of the Australian Grand Prix. He is 24 years old and turns 25 on April 6, 2026. Piastri is 1.78 metres tall and weighs 68 kilograms.

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