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The Australian believes he can become world champion this year as he looks ahead to the new F1 season. Oscar Piastri insists he will race McLaren teammate Lando Norris “hard but clean” as the Australian voiced his world championship hopes in 2025. Piastri was a key cog, winning races in Hungary and Azerbaijan, as McLaren claimed their first constructors’ championship in 26 years last season. However, while Norris finished second in the drivers’ standings, Piastri finished 82 points behind in fifth.
The latter half of 2024 saw McLaren engineers implement a “papaya rules” instruction to both drivers, whereby essentially both were allowed to race each other but with no risk of collision. Looking ahead to the 2025 season – at Piastri’s home race in Melbourne on 16 March – the 23-year-old explained further the rules of engagement between the two drivers this year. “We are going to be able to race each other,” Piastri said, at McLaren’s car launch in Silverstone on Thursday.
“We’ve shown time and time again that we can race each other hard, but cleanly, and as long as we’re not taking points off the team, then that’s how we’re going to go racing. “If there becomes a points difference in either direction towards the end of the season and we need our teammate’s help, then we’ll try and help each other out. “But that’s still going to be a long, long way away and hopefully never comes to fruition because I think for either one of us, we want to win because we’ve bene able to put in the performances ourself.”.
The Australian, heading into his third season in F1, has impressed with his imperious race-craft, though has often struggled to match his rivals in qualifying. But while acknowledging that he is not the “finished product”, Piastri’s aims for 2025 are clear. “I do think that I can become world champion this year,” Piastri said. “I feel like 12 months ago I was going into the season still with some weaknesses that I wasn't particularly confident with.
“I think through last season I addressed them. It's now just about addressing them every weekend and making sure that I'm putting my best foot forward every weekend and that is what is going to be the difference. “I'm confident and I think we've still got some things to work on. I'm definitely not the finished product but I don't think anyone necessarily is. “I think if we can work on some of the things that we've set out to do in this off-season then I'll have a lot of tools to be able to try and make that happen.”.
