Analysis: could Oscar Piastri become McLaren’s leading driver in coming F1 seasons?. The rapid improvements of Oscar Piastri lead us to ask a question.

Among the drivers who stood out during the 2024 season, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris’ teammate at McLaren, is certainly one of them. The Australian, despite being in only his second year in Formula 1, has proven to be a very solid driver, managing on many occasions to keep up with Norris. In the recently concluded season, he achieved 6 podiums and 2 wins, and was also the only driver on the grid to complete all 24 races on the calendar. This is a record that only champions like Michael Schumacher, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton have managed to achieve.

However, his youth has made itself felt: behind his extreme clarity and precision behind the wheel, he showed some inconsistent performances, with nine races where he finished outside the top 5. His worst result was in Miami, where Norris won while Piastri finished in thirteenth place. These performances certainly made a difference in terms of the championship, where the English driver managed to battle until Brazil for the title, while Piastri’s hopes had already significantly diminished much earlier.

However, as previously admitted, Oscar Piastri is only in his second year in F1, the first in which he competes with a car capable of fighting for both Championships. His rapid improvements lead us to ask a question: will Oscar Piastri be able to become World Champion starting in 2025? Could McLaren consider him as a future team leader? Important figures in the paddock, including Flavio Briatore, have admitted that the Australian will become the team’s leading driver by 2027.

The English team concluded the season by winning the Constructors’ Championship with the most reliable and competitive car on the grid. Predictions for 2025 have them as favorites once again, but the outsiders will be very close. The famous “Papaya Rules” implemented for almost the entire season aimed to score as many points as possible, avoiding contact between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. But in 2025, if McLaren wants to fight for both championships, those rules will have to be a distant memory. We will understand the dynamics of this pairing from the first races, and whether Piastri could intimidate Norris, who in recent statements has said he feels ready to become World Champion in 2025.