Oscar Piastri extended by McLaren in F1 at least until the end of 2026

Oscar Piastri arrived at McLaren with great fanfare in the Formula 1 microcosm in the winter of 2022-2023. The Alpine academy driver was supposed to be the replacement for Fernando Alonso, who was announced to be heading to Aston Martin. However, a professional oversight on Alpine’s part allowed McLaren to approach the recruit deemed talented and steal him from the French team.

Appointed for the 2023 season, Oscar Piastri is starting his third year with the papayas, alongside Lando Norris. While McLaren struggled to find performance in 2023, the 2024 season showed that Lando Norris might fear for his role as leader within the McLaren team. Oscar Piastri has won several races and has complicated McLaren’s decisions on choosing a leader to compete against Max Verstappen last year.

A contract extension for several seasons

This Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the McLaren team officially extended the contract of its Australian driver, Oscar Piastri, for several years. Piastri, aged 23, will continue to wear the team’s papaya colors in the long term. Generally, a “multi-year” contract is considered to be 2 years. But in the case of a young driver like Piastri, it could be longer, as was the case for Max Verstappen, who was extended for 5 years at once. His first contract, signed in mid-2022, also multi-year, had a duration of 3 seasons. It is therefore possible that this is the case here as well, which would allow him to match the contract signed with Lando Norris until 2027. The team has not given further details.

In 2024, Piastri won the Hungarian and Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He also achieved podiums in Monaco, Austria, Belgium, Monza, Singapore, and Qatar, as well as a Sprint victory in Qatar. Notably, he was the only driver to finish every race lap of the 2024 season, ranking fourth in the drivers’ championship in just his second year in Formula 1. These performances were crucial in McLaren’s conquest of the constructors’ championship in 2024.

McLaren also confirmed in its statement the extension of Andrea Stella, Zak Brown, and therefore Lando Norris, specifying that the commitment of its leading quartet is for the long term.

Oscar Piastri said he was delighted to extend his contract with the team that gave him the opportunity to drive in F1: « It’s a great feeling to know that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision. The team believed in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve undertaken over the past two seasons to bring McLaren back to the top of the sport has been incredible. »

Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren Racing, is also delighted: « It’s fantastic to confirm Oscar’s extension with McLaren. Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural integration within the team made it an obvious decision to extend his time in papaya. »

Last year, the rivalry between the two McLaren drivers may have played a significant role in Max Verstappen’s ability to win the title. Indeed, McLaren had not positioned a number 1 driver. It took only a few races until the end to determine a driver to favor, but it was already too late.

Andrea Stella, the team director, concluded: « Extending our partnership with Oscar is a symbol of our confidence in him as a driver, as well as a reflection of our shared ambition to continue fighting together for championships. »