Mclaren Lock Down Piastri With a Multi-Year Deal

Oscar Piastri has signed a multi-year contract extension with McLaren. With the start of the new season at Piastri’s home race in Melbourne right around the corner, McLaren had some business to attend to before they went racing for another year. The 23-year-old Aussie signed an extension taking him up to 2028, his original contract from when he joined as a rookie in 2023 took him to 2026 with the Papayas. So why was McLaren so keen to lock down Piastri?

A Top driver!

Plain and simple, Piastri is a top driver. His return from his first two seasons as a Formula One driver has proved this. In 46 races, Piastri has earned 10 podiums, 389 points, 2 Sprint Race victories (both of which came in Qatar), and 2 race victories after a controversial ending in Hungary and a dominant display in Baku.

These stats have been earned through Oscar Piastri’s wonderful race craft, his fearless overtaking ability and his hunger to win every race and every point possible. He performs this way with a constant smile on his face and a calmness like no other.

Despite his teammate Lando Norris having the edge in the Drivers Championship and pushing Max Verstappen the very best he could, without Oscar Piastri, perhaps McLaren would not have won either of the ChampionshipS and missed out on the Constructors Championship altogether.

Lando vs oscar!

Last season saw teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri battle each other on some occasions, notably in Hungary as Lando was asked to let his teammate through for the win and in Monza where Oscar pulled off an incredibly risky yet brilliant overtake on Norris going into turn 1. This has shown that the pair are closer in terms of ability than we might have thought. So, is that the reason McLaren has pulled the trigger on Piastri’s extension? Do they see more potential in Piastri to win a World Championship and be the driving force of McLaren for years to come?

Let’s compare. In 128 races, Lando Norris has picked up 26 podium places and 4 race wins (coming in Miami, Zandvoort, Singapore and Abu Dhabi). In x3 less the amount of races, Piastri has already picked up half as many wins and nearly half as many podiums. During an episode of Drive to Survive, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner was asked of the two McLaren drivers which he would prefer alongside Max at Red Bull, and he selected Oscar.

That all sounds impressive, but let’s not forget where McLaren was when Lando stepped in as a rookie in 2019. They were almost down and out, fighting with the back of the pack on many occasions, it has not been until the recent upgrades were made to the McLaren that we’ve seen it transform from a backmarker to a title-contending rocket ship. Oscar has only really experienced the good times so far in his McLaren career, whilst Lando is finally getting some breathing room at the top end of the Championship.

There is no denying Piastri’s ability and also his chances of becoming a World Champion or even a Multi-World Champion in the future. I believe McLaren has made the right decision in tying Piastri down for their long-term plans.

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