Oscar Piastri looks back on his aggressive driving style during the Japanese GP

Oscar Piastri’s push for a stronger finish at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday was halted by McLaren's decisive radio calls. After the race, the Australian racer gave a measured post-race reflection, highlighting his maturity and competitiveness.

The McLaren rookie-turned-contender believed that he had the pace to challenge leader Max Verstappen at Suzuka International Circuit had he been given the opportunity. Piastri’s frustration came across clearly on team radio as he sat on Norris’s gearbox for several laps.

Max Verstappen leads Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during the 2025 Japan Grand Prix - Source: Getty

On Lap 42, tailing teammate Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri asked the McLaren pit wall twice if he could be allowed through. But McLaren chose to hold formation, prioritizing a clean double podium over intra-team drama. Post-race, however, Piastri dialed back the heat and offered a composed take on the exchange:

"For me, I felt like I had really strong pace and felt like if I had the track position I could go and get Max. But that’s what happens when you qualify behind, unfortunately. So yeah, I at least asked the question and I think that was a fair response. I think it was a good race, and that’s how we want to go racing," Oscar Piastriasaid via Planet F1.

The third race of the 2025 Formula 1 season saw a clean but tense McLaren 2-3 result behind Max Verstappen, with Norris leading Piastri by just 0.7s. The 24-year-old racer's aggressive driving was on display throughout the final stretch, as he was 0.1s behind Norris on Turn 3 at Lap 49 and almost overtook him.

McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella later clarified why the team held position. He noted that Suzuka's high-degradation conditions and the lack of a clear performance gap between the two cars meant a switch wouldn’t necessarily improve the team’s overall result.

"I think the problem for Lando [on an overcut] would be that he would have lost positions to some other cars, including Oscar. They had pitted and they were faster, and if you stay out on a 20-lap used medium, you cannot be faster than somebody that pitted on a hard," he said via Motorsport.

Piastri recently signed a contract extension, keeping him with the Papaya team until 2028 and is expected to be their leading driver with Norris' contract ending in 2026. However, McLaren is clear that Norris is currently best suited to challenge Max Verstappen for the Driver's Championship.

“Chance of anything happening was slim”: Oscar Piastri on chasing Max Verstappen

While Oscar Piastri’s request to pass teammate Lando Norris was denied, he believed the team made the right call in the end. The #81 MCL39 driver was asked whether he felt he could have genuinely overtaken Verstappen if let through in the post-race press conference.

"It was too difficult. I think I needed the straight to be about another 100 metres longer and then maybe I could have had a small chance. But I got close a couple of times, but never close enough to do anything realistically. So, I feel like I had strong pace, but just not quite enough to be able to do anything. So, I think the chance of anything happening realistically was pretty slim," Piastri responded.

Piastri ultimately finished third, just seven-tenths behind Norris and 2.1s off Verstappen. As a result, the Red Bull racer took home his first win of the season and climbed to the second spot in the drivers' standings. He is currently one point behind leader Norris and 12 points ahead of Piastri.

Though the race ended without a position change, the bigger takeaway was perhaps the performance ceiling that McLaren has reached. With two podiums in the opening three races and a hunger to fight, it will be interesting to see Oscar Piastri's role as the 'number two' driver at Mclaren.