The unexpected highs and the sudden fall of Piastri’s 2025 F1 season
- Kavi Khandelwal
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
Oscar Piastri blazed early in 2025, faltered as McLaren froze development and eventually lost his lead due to performance slips and strategy misfires. However, despite the championship escaping him in the latter half of the season, the Australian has proved that he’s a true long-term title threat.
The 2025 Formula One season has been a landmark year for McLaren, culminating not only in securing the World Constructors’ Championship with an overwhelming 833 points, but also being the centre of a dramatic three-way confrontation for the World Drivers’ Championship.
Oscar Piastri entered the final race third in the overall championship standings with 392 points, 16 points adrift of his teammate and championship leader, Lando Norris with 408 points, and a mere four points behind the surging Max Verstappen of Red Bull at 396 points.
Piastri’s 2025 campaign has been a story of explosive early dominance, strategic compromise and final-round tactical failures. His resolution hinged on his raw pace and the ability of his car to overcome the strategic vulnerabilities exposed in the season’s final header.
Foundational dominance
The early phases of the 2025 season was dominated by the sheer speed and development curve of the MCL39. The team’s commitment to addressing the critical areas such as the rear downforce and tyre degradation established the car as the benchmark package.
Piastri capitalised immediately on this technological edge, transforming from a promising driver in just his third F1 season into a front-line title challenger with an impressive statistical surge.
The season began strongly for the Australian driver as he climbed through the rankings and cemented his role as the driver to beat. At the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Piastri claimed his third victory of the season with a flawless drive after starting second, taking the lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings as well.
During his early success, he was the only driver with multiple race victories early in the year, compounded by his subsequent wins in China, Bahrain and Miami.
His campaign reached its zenith in the mid-summer months after commanding performances that extended his lead to seemingly insurmountable levels. The supreme run meant that at his peak, Piastri held a colossal 104 point lead over Verstappen. Furthermore, after his victory at Zandvoort, he stood 34 points ahead of teammate Norris who faced a mechanical DNF.
At this juncture, Piastri was the overwhelming favourite for the title.
The cost of the 2026 focus
The narrative shifted fundamentally when McLaren’s leadership made a pivotal strategic decision, halting all “substantial upgrades” on the 2025 car. This move was justified by Team Principal, Andrea Stella, claiming that it was necessary to prioritise the essential resources for the all-new 2026 car regulations.
By effectively placing a performance cap on the MCL39, the team opened the door for Red Bull as they initiated a “steady stream of upgrades” post-summer break, therefore enhancing the RB21’s downforce and tyre management.
The consequence of McLaren’s trade-off materialised rapidly as Piastri experienced a notable performance plateau, leading to crucial points erosion.
The results settled into a rhythm often characterised by a “perpetual P5 finish”. The performance shortfall was directly attributable not solely to driver execution but also the relative degradation of the MCL39’s competitiveness against a dynamically improving rival chassis.
The strategic limitation set the stage for the dramatic championship collapse.
The grinding attrition: Internal and external blows
The final third of the season was a slow, grinding process of attrition as it saw Piastri’s lead over Verstappen evaporate, eventually pushing him to P3 in the standings.
Piastri stood 11-12 to Norris in the qualifying head-to-head, and 7-12 in the head-to-head. The championship rhythm was shattered by a series of self-inflicted and external wounds that negated his early buffer.
In Monza, the team chose to pit Piastri first to protect him from an undercut from Charles Leclerc running behind in P4. However, due to a slow pit stop for Norris, who had been P2 for most of the race, the Australian driver ended up undercutting him as well.
This led to team orders under the guise of ‘Papaya Rules’, where the pit wall asked Piastri to give the position back. While the driver was reluctant in doing so, claiming that it had been decided that slow pit stops were a part of racing, he conceded.
In Baku, Piastri crashed on the opening lap after jumping the start and anti-stalling, leading to a catastrophic zero-point score. In Singapore, he got overtaken by his teammate on the first lap, with a minor wheel bang that left Norris with a slightly damaged front wing.
The relentless attrition continued through the final flyaways. He achieved a P5 at the United States Grand Prix after a terrible sprint where he crashed into his teammate on the opening laps. His string of P5s continued to Mexico where Norris retook the championship lead.
The collapse became terminal with the final tactical failures. At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a post-race technical disqualification saw a 25-point swing in Verstappen’s favour. This was immediately followed by the pit wall blunder in Qatar as they failed to pit their cars under the Safety Car, costing Piastri a guaranteed win.
This collectively ensured that his once monumental 34-point lead over Norris, and 104-point lead over Verstappen entirely vanished and left with 16 points behind his teammate, and four points behind the Red Bull driver.
A title hangs in the balance
Despite his late-season fall-off, Piastri’s 2025 F1 campaign is a resounding success in terms of driver maturation and performance delivery, especially considering that he is only in his third year competing in F1. He has successfully cemented his status as a long-term title threat. His season was characterised by high peaks with seven race wins and a commanding presence in the first half of the season.
Ultimately, the Drivers’ Championship title was complicated due to Piastri’s usual dip in performance during the second leg of the season, made worse by high-risk decisions from the team.
At the season finale, Piastri needed a win and for Norris to finish fifth or lower to secure the World Drivers’ Championship. Ultimately, he finished the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in P2, behind Verstappen, while Norris took the final step on the podium to seal the title.
This result brought his total points of the season to 410, securing third place in the Championship. He remained 13 points behind Norris, and 11 points from Verstappen.
Despite the championship slipping away, his dominant first half and resilient finish confirm Piastri's status not merely as a prospect, but as a proven long-term title contender ready to challenge under the new 2026 regulations.
