Oscar Piastri gets to open the year at home, as Formula One rreturns to Melbourne this weekend. The Australian Grand Prix marks the start of a season built on the biggest rules change the sport has ever seen.
No Australian has won this race since it joined the calendar in 1985. Piastri finished third in last year’s championship behind teammate Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, Piastri had a message about what to expect.
Piastri Addresses Home Race Hopes
Winning in Melbourne would mean everything to Piastri. Every driver wants to win their home race. But he’s not setting himself up for disappointment.
“It would be optimistic, or very optimistic, to say we’re going to have the same form as we did here 12 months ago,” Piastri said.
Last year’s Australian Grand Prix saw Piastri and Norris lock out the front row. Norris won the race. McLaren rode that momentum to a Teams’ Championship. This year looks different.
“I think we’re somewhere towards the front, but from testing it feels like Mercedes and Ferrari got a little bit on us and Red Bull,” Piastri said. “I think we’re in the mix but not right at the pointy end.”
Piastri knows the reality. He also knows what winning at home would mean.
“I would love to win here,” Piastri said. “If we’ve got the car to do it…and even if we don’t have the car to do it…I’ll be trying my absolute best to.”
GettyLando Norris and Oscar Piastri Will Battle it Out Again in 2026.
What Oscar Said on McLaren
Last year didn’t end the way Piastri wanted. He held a 34-point lead halfway through the season, but ended up finishing in third.
The frustration was real. The questions about how McLaren handled team orders were fair. Piastri answered them this week in Melbourne.
“I’m certainly not going to have a rebellious streak or anything like that,” Piastri said. “A pretty quick-fire way to make sure you’re not going to win a championship is go against your own team.”
Zak Brown’s relationship with Piastri has survived the tension.
“We obviously had some tough moments through last year, as any team has,” Piastri said. “But I think our relationship’s only gotten stronger from that.”
Piastri accepts where he stands. Norris just won a championship. Both drivers need freedom to compete. Both also need to recognize when the team’s goals matter more than individual results.
Last season taught Piastri what not to do. He won’t make those mistakes again.
New Regulations Make Everything Unpredictable
Melbourne opens the season under a completely different set of rules. The power units changed. The cars changed.
Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle called it “the biggest ever in Formula 1” and predicted the opening races will be “slightly wild” as teams figure out the new systems.
Power now splits evenly between combustion and electric. That changes how drivers approach every corner, every straight, every lap. Chaos feels inevitable. Overtake mode delivers massive bursts of power. Qualifying brings its own mess. Charge the battery wrong on your out lap or hit traffic at the wrong spot and you’re out.
Sunday will answer questions testing couldn’t. The reset is real.
GettyLando Norris leads Oscar Piastri and the rest of the field at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 16, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia.
Final Word for Piastri
Oscar Piastri knows what he’s walking into Sunday. McLaren isn’t the favorite. Mercedes and Ferrari looked stronger in testing. The new regulations make everything uncertain.
He also knows what winning at home would mean. No Australian has done it in over 40 years. The car might not be there yet. He’ll push for it anyway.
Sunday opens a new era. The biggest rules change Formula 1 has ever seen. Melbourne goes first.
Oscar Piastri Sends Strong Message Ahead of Australian Grand Prix