Oscar Piastri appears to have come to terms with his third-place finish in the championship after the race in Abu Dhabi. The Australian battled until the final Grand Prix of 2025 for his first world title – even overtaking his teammate and eventual world champion Lando Norris in the opening phase – but it ‘was not to be’ for the McLaren driver. ‘I knew beforehand that I needed a lot of luck,’ Piastri explains after the race.
Oscar Piastri started third in the decisive race in Abu Dhabi, but it didn’t stay that way for long. The Australian quickly overtook Lando Norris, although it didn’t matter for the championship. The Brit won his first world title, while Piastri ended up in P3 in the title fight.
Still, the McLaren driver feels good shortly after the race. “I knew beforehand that I needed a lot of luck to win the championship,” he tells the cameras of F1TV. “I did my best to still win the race. In the end, it was not to be. Still, I can be very proud of my season. Not the ending I had hoped for, but overall we made so much good progress compared to last year.”
Looking Ahead to 2026
The Australian is already looking forward to 2026, the season when the regulations will be overhauled. “The car will be completely different then, but it’s still nice to end this season with good results,” says the McLaren driver. “It was nice to regain my form; it would have been very painful if I had ended the season at my performance level from Austin, Brazil, and Mexico.” Piastri achieved fifth place three times during those Grand Prix, while Norris made it to the podium three times. “But there are still many years to go, and hopefully many more opportunities,” the Melbourne driver concludes his interview on a hopeful note.
