Piastri: ‘Not quite the ending’ he wanted – but proud of season

Oscar Piastri walked away from the 2025 Formula 1 title decider with a bittersweet blend of pride and frustration – a driver who fought until the final lap, came up short, but still recognised just how far he and McLaren have travelled together.

Piastri arrived in Abu Dhabi knowing the math wasn’t on his side. Sixteen points down on Lando Norris, needing the “stars to align,” and carrying the weight of a late-season slump that had erased his once-commanding advantage, the Australian was under no illusions.

But he still threw everything at it. A lightning launch put him ahead of Norris on lap one, giving him a tantalising glimpse of what might be possible.

What he couldn’t do, however, was challenge Max Verstappen – not while managing a mammoth 41-lap stint on hard tyres in a strategic gamble meant to give McLaren options later in the race.

Finishing second wasn’t enough to keep the title dream alive – but the Aussie’s perspective remained calm, clear and mature.

Asked how he felt about the result, he said: “Honestly, pretty good. I knew that going into today I needed the stars to align to win the championship.

• Read also: Emotional Norris pays tribute to McLaren team and family

“Ultimately, I tried my best and put myself in the best position I could to try and win the race and give myself the best opportunity, but it wasn’t to be. I think we can be very proud of the season we’ve had.

“On a personal level, it’s obviously not quite the ending that I wished for but I think when you look at the season as a whole, I’m very proud of the work that I’ve been able to put in and my team have been able to put in to make so much progress from last year. I’m looking forward to plenty more fights in the future.”

A Season of Highs, Lows – and Huge Growth

McLaren’s split-strategy call – Norris starting on mediums, Piastri on hards – allowed the latter to run deep into the race. But by the time he emerged from his late stop, Verstappen’s lead was too vast to attack.

With all three title contenders finishing on the podium, Piastri ended the year 13 points shy of Norris, who beat Verstappen to the crown by just two.

Even so, Piastri found plenty to celebrate in the closing chapters of his season – especially after a painful dip in form across Austin, Mexico and Brazil.

“It is nice to end the last couple of weekends on a relative high, certainly from a performance point of view,” he said.

“I guess individually it was nice to find some form again because it would have been pretty painful to end it on the note that Austin, Mexico and Brazil kind of went to.

“Ultimately, there were ups and downs through the year. I’ll look back on the ups with a lot of pride and joy, and look on the downs with plenty of lessons learned. There are plenty more years left to go and hopefully plenty more opportunities.”

It wasn’t the fairytale finish he envisioned back in summer – but Piastri ends 2025 as a proven race-winner, a title contender, and a driver whose ceiling looks higher than ever.

If this was only the beginning, the future battles between McLaren’s two young stars may be unmissable.