The underrated advantage Oscar Piastri has at McLaren

Oscar Piastri, at just 23 years old, has seriously impressed through his first two seasons in Formula 1. Perhaps that shouldn't really be a shock, considering he's one of very few drivers to ever win the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles, both in his debut seasons.

He already has two Grand Prix victories, as well as a sprint win, after McLaren started 2023 at the back of the grid, something perhaps nobody could have imagined. Arguably most impressive of all was his sprint win two years ago in Qatar, when he out-paced Max Verstappen in the closing stages and scored his first "victory" before his more experienced teammate Lando Norris could.

The Australian driver also has a very laid back, dry humor personality that has seemed to really connect him with the fans, and it allows him to get along with virtually everybody in the paddock. His efforts across just 46 races earned him a multi-year contract extension with McLaren that runs through 2026.

Despite his early successes, Piastri has been heavily outperformed by Norris in both 2023 and 2024.

It was probably expected that Norris would be ahead by a good margin after two seasons, considering the incredible speed he has his extra four years of experience.

Similarly speaking, Norris was outperformed in his first two seasons in Formula 1 by his then-teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., who was much more experienced as well. You simply don't see a newcomer have two seasons even remotely close to what Lewis Hamilton had in 2007 and 2008, coming one point short of the title in 2007 before winning it all the following year.

However, the numbers don't lie. In 2023 and 2024, Piastri was beaten by Norris by multiple positions. He has two fewer Grand Prix wins, 10 fewer podium finishes, 184 fewer points, and nine fewer pole positions. During the 2024 season, he was outqualified 21-3 by Norris in Grands Prix and 4-2 in sprints.

Additionally, Piastri has struggled to have consistent speed across a long chain of races, and he has also struggled with tire management. He was much better in 2024 in both those areas, despite still clearly lacking.

He will need to improve to even have a chance at beating Norris, who seems to be the consensus championship favorite heading into the new season. Given how far the Aussie has come since his debut two years ago, however, it's not hard to envision that he will continue to get better and better with every passing weekend.

Piastri also has one key strength in his repertoire that can help him beat anybody on any given day.

Most young drivers are usually extremely fast and always push to the ragged edge, but they often make mistakes and struggle in wheel-to-wheel situations. Right from the get-go, however, Piastri has been the exact opposite. While he has often had a hard time matching Norris on pure pace, every time he has matched or beaten him, it's been because of his race craft, his extremely calm personality, and his abilities under pressure.

So much was made of Norris' shortcomings last year, and how a lot of them were self-induced with micro-mistakes, such as sliding too long in his pit box at Silverstone during his final pit stop to cost himself the win, constantly losing positions on the opening lap, or being taken advantage of by Verstappen whenever they came into combat.

Piastri hasn't started on pole for a Grand Prix, but he did have a sprint pole in Brazil, and he was able hold the lead after the first lap. He also was able to gain positions numerous times on the opening lap, twice doing so for the lead on Norris, first in Hungary and then with a brilliant move around the outside of the second chicane in Monza.

In both of these races, Piastri ended up finishing ahead of Norris. Sure, his maiden Grand Prix win in Hungary may have been very circumstantial, but he probably doesn't have a chance either way if not for his incredible start.

Then there's the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Piastri scored his second career victory in a fantastic, race-long fight against Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who has taken pole there four times.

Piastri pulled off one of the overtakes of the season, braking super late from way back to get the move done on Leclerc in turn one, and then he defended at the same turn lap after lap, without ever locking up or running wide, to score the win.

It also wasn't the only incredible overtake he made in 2024. He also made a brilliant move on Leclerc around the outside of the Les Combes chicane at Spa to take third, and he nearly went on to score the win in a shootout against the two Mercedes of Hamilton and George Russell.

For someone so young and inexperienced, it's incredible how strong Piastri has already been when it comes to race craft, limiting mistakes, and dealing with all sorts of pressure. Any sophomore driver would be forgiven if they locked up and missed the corner when being challenged for the win late in the race, but he just isn't susceptible to that.

These are all key attributes that Piastri can use to mount a title challenge in 2025.

For as much as Formula 1 is about having raw speed, car control, tire management, team strategy, and fast machinery, just as much of it also involves race craft, decision making, mental strength, and smarts. You'd be hard-pressed to find a driver in the top four teams who is stronger than Piastri in those areas.

Verstappen is undoubtedly the strongest driver on the current grid, and one of the most talented ever. But there were a few times last year, specifically in Hungary with his team's strategy and in Mexico when battling Norris early on, when he completely lost his head in pure rage and ultimately cost himself points.

Hamilton is statistically the greatest driver of all-time, but he failed to deal with his tricky Mercedes car last season and retain his self-confidence. Both Russell and Norris have shown that they aren't close to Piastri in dealing with pressure, remaining calm, and making the key moves when they need to, while Liam Lawson and Kimi Antonelli are both entering their first full seasons and will likely have rough edges from time to time.

The only one out of the top eight drivers who is arguably matching Piastri in these categories is Leclerc. But even he is prone to the occasional outburst when things aren't going well, and you literally never see that from Piastri.

Given how close the grid is projected to be this upcoming season, countless drivers and teams will likely be contending for the win almost every weekend. With that, race craft, decision making, and mental toughness are all going to be more important than they have ever been before.

If Piastri can keep up his rapid trajectory and maintain these very things that have already helped him be successful, the third-year star might just be the one to beat in 2025.