McLaren’s Australian superstar Oscar Piastri signs contract extension until 2028 ahead of his home race

McLaren has confirmed a multi-year contract extension with Oscar Piastri four days before the 2025 Formula 1 season begins on Sunday, March 16. This deal will keep the 23-year-old Australian with the 'Papaya' team until the 2028 season.

Piastri won both the FIA Formula 3 in 2020 and Formula 2 Championships in 2021 with Prema. This made him highly sought after. McLaren acquired him after he had a contract dispute in 2023 with Alpine, his former team.

McLaren officially announced the contract extension on X with the caption:

"Oscar extends his contract on a multi-year deal!"

Piastri will remain at McLaren till the end of the 2028 season. This development comes on the heels of a successful 2024 campaign, during which he was key to McLaren's journey to their first Constructors' Championship since 1998.

"It’s a great feeling to be staying in papaya. I’ve grown up with McLaren and feel at home here, the team are like family to me. The journey so far has been exciting, we’ve had ups and downs, but last season showed our desire to get back to competing at the front of the grid." Piastri said to McLaren on the contract extension.

Piastri’s performances in the latter part of 2024 were key to the McLaren resurgence last year. In his rookie season, he secured two podium finishes. He finished third at the Japanese Grand Prix and was a runner-up in Qatar.

Piastri also claimed his first Sprint victory in Qatar. However, 2024 was his breakthrough year, winning his first Grand Prix in Hungary and following it up with another thrilling victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Piastri was also the only driver to complete every racing lap of the 2024 season. He ended the 2024 season with a fourth-place finish in the championship standings with 292 points.

Oscar Piastri's contract extension shows McLaren's Championship ambitions

Oscar Piastri turns his focus to the 2025 season, and McLaren wants to build on last year’s momentum. The Australian Grand Prix will see him kickstart his 2025 campaign in front of a passionate Melbourne home crowd.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown was thrilled about securing Piastri’s services for the long term. He emphasized the driver’s talent and work ethic in a statement:

“It’s fantastic to confirm Oscar’s extension with McLaren. Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his time in Papaya. We’ve got the best driver line-up on the grid, and in the past two seasons, we’ve seen how much of an asset to the team Oscar is both on and off track.”

In recent years, McLaren has transformed under the leadership of Brown and team principal Andrea Stella. Stella also shared his thoughts on their shared ambition of fighting for championships:

“Alongside Lando, we have what we need locked in for the long term to keep pushing forward. I look forward to continuing to watch Oscar grow and develop as a driver and know that many successes lie ahead for him.”

Lando Norris' contract keeps him on McLaren till the end of the 2026 season. Piastri's extension means that the Woking-based outfit now has both its drivers for two seasons at least. This puts them in a good position to challenge for the championship in the upcoming season.