The rise and rise of Oscar Piastri has been a spectacle to behold. Even if it was mostly anticipated.
Entering Formula 1 with back-to-back F3 and F2 titles under his belt, pundits had always foreseen a world championship for the credentialled prodigy. At the current rate of his performance, and with an absolute rocket to pilot in the McLaren MCL39, this prophecy may be fulfilled as early as his third season.
Just weeks after overtaking McLaren Racing teammate Lando Norris in points to become Australia’s first F1 championship leader since his manager Mark Webber (2010), Oscar Piastri now crosses another historically significant milestone.
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Not only has the 24-year-old’s flawless victory at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, 4.6 seconds clear of the nearest competitor, made him the first Aussie driver to win three consecutive races during an F1 season since Alan Jones (1979) – he’s also the first McLaren driver to win three consecutive races in 28 years.
To date, Piastri has won four of the six grands prix throughout the 2025 season. And in stark contrast to Lando Norris, the Melbourne-born talent has done so while exhibiting superior mental fortitude, racecraft, and above all else, greater consistency along the way.
LAP 15/57
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 4, 2025
That was a close one! 🤏
Norris is quickly up to Verstappen's gearbox, hanging out wide into Turn 1 before being squeezed out 😱#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/K9mfaN01zc
The perfect showcase occurred this past weekend with a tale of two overtakes at the Miami International Autodrome.
After a minor lock-up at the opening corner of Lap 12, which botched his attack against Max Verstappen for the race lead, a tenacious Oscar Piastri cut through on the inside line at the exact same place on Lap 14, as his Red Bull Racing rival ran deep. A lap later, Piastri would pull ahead with a 1.6-second lead.
Lando Norris, on the other hand, didn’t escape so cleanly.
Finding himself in P3 on Lap 15, the Brit attempted a similar manoeuvre against Verstappen, only to be bullied towards the Turn One run-off. A little later during Lap 17, he’d push Verstappen off-track at Turn 11 and immediately surrender the position back to avoid a penalty; he only finally made his way through at the same corner a lap later.
Both boys in papaya went wheel-to-wheel with the reigning four-time champion. But only one of them flinched.
“[He’s] definitely got the edge over Norris when it comes to race craft. Norris seems to have a fraction of an edge over pace, but… Piastri is getting the job done,” F1 veteran Martin Brundle noted on Sky Sports.
Lando ⚔️ Max
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 5, 2025
It was an intense battle out there between the McLaren and Red Bull pairing 👊#F1 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/ZJQbHlGVqY
“He’s getting moves done. He’s not making mistakes. And he’s getting victories.”
Former world champion Jenson Button echoed these sentiments: “It was an amazing job by Oscar this weekend. As soon as he gets in the lead he is formidable. He just controls the race. It’s really extraordinary to watch.”
“It’s the race pace that is just out of this world now with him. He’s improved so much over the last year. He gets into the lead and he’s so good at controlling races.”
Armchair analysis aside (however qualified it may be), another telling illustration of the sheer disparity between McLaren’s drivers is the following: despite having participated in 82 fewer grands prix than Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri’s six career wins already exceed his senior teammate’s five.
Granted, Norris hasn’t been given a viable title contender to compete against the likes of Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, and Ferrari for the majority of his career. But he should still theoretically hold the edge in experience over Piastri (82 race weekends’ worth), especially considering McLaren has largely engineered the MCL39 around him.
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Though it would seem equal machinery and a considerable leg-up on hours at the very apex of motorsports alone cannot compensate for that gulf in God-given instincts. Not all Formula 1 drivers are born equal, after all.
At the time of this writing – and with 17 race weekends left – Oscar Piastri leads the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship by 16 points ahead of Norris (115) and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (99). The stop in the calendar will be the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, hosted at Italy’s Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 18th, 2025.
Let’s see where the chips rubber falls.
