Piastri eyes F1 title: ‘I have the tools, now I need to deploy them’

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Oscar Piastri, fresh off an impressive sophomore season in F1 with McLaren, 1, believes he now possesses nearly all the tools necessary to compete for the world championship.

However, the 23-year-old admits that the key to success will lie in consistently "putting it all together” in 2025.

The talented Australian had a breakout year in 2024, securing his first Grand Prix victories and helping McLaren clinch its first constructors' championship since 1998.

Thanks to these milestones, Piastri finished fourth in the drivers' standings, 82 points behind teammate Lando Norris and 145 points adrift of four-time champion Max Verstappen.

Piastri believes his steady growth and a notable transformation of his skillset should allow him to contend for the world title in 2025

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“I think so, yes. I've still got some learning and improving to do,” he told Motorsport.com at the end of last season.

“I feel like now I'm getting to a stage where on certain days I feel like I have almost all the tools that I need.

“I'm just not putting them together as much as I want to and I feel like last year I didn't have all the tools that I needed. I had some of them, but I was still missing some.

“I feel like now this year [in 2024], if I don't have all of them, I certainly have a lot more – and whether that's racing pace, qualifying, racing other people, I feel like I've shown good moments of that, or even in some of those areas.

“I've just been generally very happy across the board.”

The Challenge of Racing at the Front

As Piastri adjusts to battling at the sharp end of the grid, he admits the spotlight has intensified.

“Just putting it all together a bit more is, I think, what's going to be needed,” he added.

“So now that you're at the front, you get exposed for anything that you can't do perfectly more than what you would be doing a bit further back in the pack."

Despite this added pressure, Piastri is undeterred and firmly believes he has what it takes to reach the top.

"But I feel like I have all the tools I need. I just need to be able to deploy them all the time,” he stated.

A Bright Future Ahead

Piastri's ability to close the performance gap to Norris and Verstappen will be pivotal to convert his immense potential into a sustained championship challenge.

As the 2025 season looms, the young Australian seems poised to rise to the occasion – provided he can consistently harness his burgeoning skillset in the relentless cauldron of Formula 1 competition.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.