Australian driver Oscar Piastri wrapped up his 2025 season with a strong second-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and third in the Drivers’ Championship. At Yas Marina, he put the McLaren team first, supporting teammate Lando Norris in his quest for the World Championship. While a touch of disappointment is inevitable, there’s also pride in what has been a remarkable season.
Knowing the limits at Abu Dhabi
Piastri was well aware that coming into Abu Dhabi trailing Lando Norris by 16 points, only a near-miraculous performance could have secured him the championship. With that reality in mind, he set aside personal ambitions to focus on helping his teammate edge out Max Verstappen for the title.
A strategic move for the team
The Australian accepted an alternative strategy compared to the other leading drivers, starting on hard tires and extending his first stint. While this reduced his own chances of winning, it positioned McLaren to almost certainly secure two cars in the top four, giving the team control over its championship destiny.
Finishing strong
Ultimately, Oscar Piastri crossed the line in second, behind Verstappen and ahead of Norris, allowing his teammate to clinch the title. Despite the unavoidable disappointment of missing out on the championship himself, he reflected positively on his overall 2025 performance. The season saw him claim seven race victories and remain in contention for the title until the very end.
Piastri reflects on the season
“Honestly, I feel pretty good. I knew that today I would have needed a perfect alignment of stars to win the championship, and in the end, I did my best. I put myself in the best possible position to try to win the race and give myself the best opportunities, but it wasn’t enough,” Oscar Piastri said.
“I think we can be very proud of the season we had. Personally, it’s not the ending I would have wanted, but looking at the season as a whole, I’m very proud of the work I’ve done. The team has made significant progress compared to last year, so I’m excited for the challenges the future holds,” he added.
Closing on a high note
Another consolation for Oscar Piastri was finishing the season on an upward trajectory after a challenging mid-season period, which hit when he seemed to have the championship within reach and was 35 points ahead after the Dutch Grand Prix.
“Of course, the cars and everything else will be completely different next year, but it’s nice to finish the last two weekends with relatively positive results. From a performance perspective, I think it’s also personally satisfying to regain form, because it would have been tough to end the season on the level of results we had in Austin, Mexico, or Brazil,” he reflected.
“But at the end of the year, with all the ups and downs, I’ll look back on the highs with a lot of pride and joy, and on the lows as lessons learned. So yes, there are still many years ahead of me, and I hope many more opportunities as well,” Oscar Piastri concluded.
Seven wins, a podium in the final race and the ultimate team performance when it mattered most – not the fairy-tale ending Piastri dreamed of, but a hell of a way to sign off 2025.
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