Oscar Piastri is gearing up for another Formula 1 season, but this time, he’s the only Aussie on the grid.
Jack Doohan lost his Alpine seat after just six rounds of the 2025 season and hasn’t found a way back in. So when the lights go out in Melbourne, it’ll be Piastri alone carrying local hopes.
Piastri had a few different paths into F1, but it was McLaren who made the first real move. They seized an opportunity when a flaw in his Alpine contract became apparent.
After that, Andrea Stella and Zak Brown had to decide how to fit him into their plans.
Lando Norris was already locked in as part of their future plans. His place was never really under threat given how much McLaren had invested in him through their junior programme.
That left Daniel Ricciardo on the outside looking in. While he did make a brief return with Racing Bulls, his career never really got back on track after that.
Piastri’s arrival changed things for McLaren right away. He finished ninth in his rookie year with 97 points and outperformed Norris across several races.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri decision called ‘ludicrous’ by F1 insider
During a segment on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor was asked to reflect on Daniel Ricciardo’s peak, specifically his overtaking skill and overall talent.
He replied: “You’re just basically underlying everything I’ve always said, which was that he has got that great quality.
“He can see a gap two or three cars ahead and make it work. He’s experienced. He’s got the right temperament. He’s a lovely guy. He drives well. He’s got very supple inputs.
“Not that short a corner, but shorter than Carlos Sainz and just a good guy to have, for any team to have.
“And for McLaren to fire him and replace him with Oscar, I think, was ludicrous because I think they still would have won the championship with Lando. Lando would always have been quicker ultimately.
“They would have won the championship in a far more harmonious way, and they didn’t need Oscar. They just needed to go ahead and do the job.
“They had the team, and Oscar was quicker than Daniel. No doubt about that. But if you had Oscar in the team, Daniel would have been very good alongside him.
“Why create those situations when it’s so simple to keep it as it is? As you say, he was a perfect complement for Lando Norris.”
Oscar Piastri admits replacing Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren was a concern
Ricciardo is an icon in Australian motorsport, and by the time he left McLaren, only Mark Webber and world champions Jack Brabham and Alan Jones had more race wins among Aussies.
Piastri has since moved ahead of Ricciardo in that list following his win at the Dutch Grand Prix last year. The 24-year-old now looks set to become Australia’s most successful Formula 1 driver.
Despite that early success, Piastri knew from the start that stepping into Ricciardo’s seat came with serious expectations. He understood just how much pressure there would be replacing a national favourite.
His mum later spoke about how aware he was of what it meant to fill that role. But over time, Piastri has carved out his own following, thanks to both his performances on track and his dry sense of humour off it.
Piastri now has nine race wins to his name as he enters the sixth season of his career with McLaren.
Meanwhile, despite being given another chance in F1, Ricciardo never recaptured his best form after leaving McLaren. He finished with eight race wins from 264 starts before leaving for good after two seasons with Racing Bulls.
Read More Like This:
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