Piastri affirms his ambitions and loyalty to McLaren: "Not here to be a figurehead"

Franz Tost, the former boss of the B team of Red Bull said that it took three seasons for a pilot to Formula 1 is coming of age. The Austrian may have to lower his expectations when he talks about Oscar piastri. After only two years in Formula 1, the driver McLaren is already splashing the premier category with his talent and has just signed his best weekend in Formula 1 in China by taking pole position and then winning his third GP in Formula 1.

Piastri showed that he did not intend to be content with playing the role of water carrier for Lando Norris this year, after having tried in 2024 to serve as lieutenant to its garage neighbor, better placed to play for the title. The launch of a new season means that the counters are reset.

At McLaren, the rules are clear: drivers have every opportunity to battle on track, provided, of course, they stay clean. If he continues his momentum from Shanghai, Piastri can reasonably hope to remain in the title fight until the end of the season. In any case, that's his goal.

"I enjoy being in this position where a lot is expected of me," proclaims number 81 in an interview with The Times. “I’m definitely not in this sport just to make up the numbers. I’m here because I want to become a world champion. Over the past two seasons, I’ve proven to myself, more than anyone else, that I have what it takes. I don’t think I’m at the peak of my powers, but I’m doing my best to get there as quickly as possible. I know my best weekends are good enough to beat the best.”

Other teams are "not a priority" for Piastri 

Despite a mistake in Australia, which cost him the chance to become the first aussie On the podium at home, Oscar Piastri has had an encouraging start to the season, which translates into a deficit of just ten points over his garage neighbour, the leader of the general classification.

Symbolically, Piastri will celebrate his 24th birthday next Sunday, the day of the Japanese Grand Prix, where he achieved his first podium finish in 2023. The Melbourne native may have the opportunity to repeat his performance, or even imitate that of Shanghai, as his McLaren has been ahead of the competition since the start of the season.

The good performance of his car, in line with last season's Constructors' title, obviously weighed in when signing a new contract a few days ago. Piastri is committed to the long term with the team that gave him his chance in 2023, when Alpine to fail to make him stay even though he was the French reserve driver. From now on, a departure from the Woking team is not to be expected: the potential suitors can circulate, there is nothing to see. For me, the other teams were never really a priority,” sweeps Piastri. "McLaren, firstly from a car perspective, but also from a team environment perspective, is the team I want. Many people would dream of being here. I am convinced that I can win with this team. If I hadn't had that confidence, I might not have signed this long contract."

The hardest part remains: putting all these fine words into practice on the track during the remaining 22 weekends.

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