Will Oscar Piastri break the Australian drivers' home curse?

Australia has had some great champions in Formula 1. World champions, with Jack Brabham and Alan Jones. Grand Prix winners, like Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo and more recently, Oscar piastri. All have proudly carried the Australian flag around the world, notably on the podiums of Grand Prix races. More precisely, Australian drivers have achieved a total of 140 podium finishes since the inception of the world championship. On every continent, the Aussies have triumphed everywhere... except at home.

Of these 140 podiums, none have been achieved in Australia, whether in Adelaide or Melbourne. Since the first Australian Grand Prix in 1985, and in the 37 subsequent editions, an Australian has never finished on the podium! It's not for lack of opportunities to do so: Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo have both driven for Red Bull, a multiple world champion team accustomed to the top of the table. For Alan Jones, who competed in two Australian GPs in 1985 and 1986, the situation was different: the 1980 world champion, then at the end of his career, was driving for the small team Haas Lola (nothing to do with the Haas team we know today). Jack Brabham, for his part, never had the opportunity to drive at home in F1.

Where Webber and Ricciardo failed…

So of course, purists will obviously remember Daniel Ricciardo's podium in 2014. The former Red Bull driver thought he had achieved a historic performance by becoming the first Australian to step on the gearbox... but a few hours later, the Perth native had lost ownership of it after being disqualified due to a technical infringement on his Red Bull (maximum authorized flow of 100kg of fuel per hour in a race exceeded). Others will still remember Mark Webber's "honorary" podium in 2002, after finishing 5th in his first Grand Prix and scoring his first points in a modest Minardi but obviously, this one does not count in the history books.

Ricciardo and the podium that wasn't one at the 2014 Australian GP © DPPI

…Piastri wants to succeed!

Fortunately for the Oceanian country, with a population of 27 million, the next generation is already here... and they intend to put an end to this curse. In 2025, there are two Aussies on the starting grid: rookie Jack Doohan, ready to compete in his first full season (for now) at Alpine, and especially Oscar Piastri, on whom all the fans' hopes rest. At 23 years old – soon to be 24, on April 6 – the local has become the darling of the Australian public. Just look at the number of spectators dressed in McLaren, papaya-colored, and signs depicting the pilot's head wander around Albert Park to see the growing popularity of the Melbourne native.

“Yes, it’s really a special race for me, explained Oscar Piastri last year, just before his national event. For any driver, a home race is always a pleasure and a privilege. For me, it's 10 or 15 minutes from where I grew up. So, yes, it's definitely a home race and I'm looking forward to going back there." On home soil, Oscar Piastri finally wants to raise the Australian flag on the podium. Not in an honorary manner, no, but with a big result at stake! And there are plenty of reasons to believe it will.

Piastri the favorite this weekend?

For his third season in Formula 1, Oscar Piastri has all the ingredients to have a great season… and maybe even fight for the world title. McLaren being the reigning world champion team, its two drivers will logically start as favorites for this 2025 season, a status that was reinforced following very convincing winter tests in Bahrain. Winner of his first two Grands Prix in 2024, the Australian has established himself as a potential candidate for victories and the world title, with a maturity astonishing for his young age. Above all, Oscar Piastri has shown that he does not give up, as evidenced by his success in Azerbaijan against Charles Leclerc or his daring overtaking on Lando Norris in Monza.

If the momentum from winter testing continues this weekend in Melbourne, then McLaren can legitimately aim for a one-two finish with its two MCL39s. However, in front of his home crowd, Oscar Piastri won't be satisfied with a mere second place: if the opportunity for victory presents itself, he'll undoubtedly seize it. Last year, the Australian finished fourth, just off the podium, just behind his teammate Lando Norris. This year, more than a podium, it's victory that the Aussie is aiming for on Sunday. The Melbourne crowd is already ready to get excited for their favorite.

Moreover, the organizers have already taken steps in anticipation of an Oscar Piastri victory, by re-authorizing the invasion of the track after the Grand Prix finish, which had been canceled in 2024 due to overflows the previous year. "If [Piastri] can [win], luckily we have the track-walk after the race because I think [the fans] will fill it, said Australian Grand Prix CEO Travis Auld. He's a Melbourne boy and there's a huge buzz around Oscar for the first round - and that won't worry Oscar." Sunday, the party could be all-out at Albert Park. The stage is set: now it's time for the show... and the possible podium finish!

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