Even before hitting the track, on the eve of the season opener, a major piece of market news arrives: Oscar Piastri’s renewal with McLaren through a multi-year deal.
Piastri’s previous contract was set to run until the end of the 2026 season, but McLaren acted swiftly to extend the deal with the Australian, who had meanwhile attracted interest from other teams for the future. The Woking-based team has invested in Piastri since it managed to snatch him from Alpine in 2022, making this renewal a logical step to capitalize on the work done so far.
As with Lando Norris, who extended his contract with McLaren at the beginning of last year, the British team did not specify the duration of Piastri’s renewal. However, his new multi-year agreement is expected to last at least until 2028.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be part of McLaren’s long-term vision. The team believed in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve embarked on over the last two seasons to help bring McLaren back to the top of the sport has been incredible,” said the Australian driver, speaking about his renewal, which comes right before his home Grand Prix.
“There are so many talented and special people at McLaren who helped me win a Grand Prix very early in my career. I am very proud to continue representing this legendary team for many years to come. I’m excited to keep fighting at the front as a McLaren driver, and after last year’s results, I’m even more eager to win.”
The Woking team saw in Oscar Piastri the potential of a young driver with a bright future, one who won his first race—a sprint race, but a victory nonetheless—already in his debut year in Qatar. In 2024, expectations were higher in terms of consistency, as the Australian had standout performances in some Grands Prix but struggled to consistently stay at the top.
However, McLaren believes that Oscar Piastri, now in his third year, has the potential to take the next step in his development. The team has been impressed with both his attitude and his work ethic behind the scenes, leading to the early contract renewal. Since 2023, the team has appreciated his personal qualities—his calm and composed demeanor, as well as his approach to race weekends.
“Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and the way he has integrated into the team made extending his time at McLaren an easy decision,” said CEO Zak Brown.
“We have the best driver lineup on the grid, and over the last two seasons, we’ve seen how much of an asset Oscar is to the team, both on and off the track. Oscar was absolutely crucial to securing third place in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship last season.”
Oscar Piastri taken off the market in search of stability
Oscar Piastri’s early renewal, however, must be seen from a dual perspective. As McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella stated, the decision to extend the partnership with the Australian is a confirmation of the British team’s trust in him—not just in the short term, but also for the long haul. A multi-year renewal is, after all, an investment in the future.
Locking in the current lineup for such a long period is also a way to shield against interest from other teams, particularly Red Bull. It is no secret that the Austrian team’s top management has already explored the market in case of a potential departure of Max Verstappen in 2026, which was also when Oscar Piastri’s previous contract was set to expire. McLaren’s decision to renew both drivers is not only an effort to maintain a lineup it bet on years ago, when the team was not yet at the top, but also to remove them from future market speculation.
Having now become a team to beat in Formula 1, McLaren finds itself in the enviable position everyone desires, but one that also comes with responsibilities: keeping a winning team together without losing key pieces along the way. This was evident with the renewal of Peter Prodromou at the start of 2025, now followed by Piastri’s contract extension.
This is yet another sign that McLaren is leaving nothing to chance against its rivals. The timing of the announcement is also no surprise—before the start of the championship, ensuring that the future of its lineup does not become a distraction in a season where it aims to compete for both world titles and ahead of a new regulatory era, where the focus will shift elsewhere.
McLaren is confident it has found and secured its ideal driver pairing for the future, adopting an approach of two equal-status drivers. Time will tell whether the Woking team can maintain a stable balance with two highly competitive drivers, but for now, it has chosen its future.
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