Oscar Piastri takes down Daniel Ricciardo in F1 popularity – but what else do we know about Aussie star?

For the first time ever, Oscar Piastri is officially Australia’s most popular F1 driver. But there’s one area he still trails Daniel Ricciardo – even after torching the F1 circuit this year.

Australians are racing to find out more about Formula 1 ace Oscar Piastri on the back of his championship-leading form with search interest in the McLaren ace doubling this year, but not at the peak of former Aussie star Daniel Ricciardo.

After rocketing to the top of the Formula 1 driver standings in a spectacular start to his 2025 campaign, it’s clear everyone wants to know all about the Melbourne-born racer.

The driver tipped to be Australia’s next world champion is this year the most searched F1 driver in Australia, according to exclusive Google data.

Australians are jumping online to ask Google everything they can about the championship leader with the most asked questions including how old he is; where he is from, where he lives and when he joined the F1 grid.

Search interest in Piastri has doubled in the first four months of this year compared to the last four months of 2024 based on Google information.

Piastri’s home state of Victoria is the top state or territory searching for information on the title contender, followed by the ACT and Tasmania.

Oscar Piastri’s popularity is booming on the back of his stunning start to the season. Picture: AP

Search interest in Piastri exceeded search interest in former F1 star and eight-time grand prix winner Ricciardo for the first time in Australia this year.

Google said search interest in Piastri was currently twice as high as the former fan favourite Ricciardo, who made an emotional farewell at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.

But peak annual search interest in Piastri this year is about 30 per cent lower than the peak annual search interest in Ricciardo in Australia in 2022, according to Google.

Now in his third year in F1, Piastri has captured the sporting world’s attention with a stunning start to the 2025 season.

Daniel Ricciardo never won an F1 championship – but he won legions of fans. Picture: Getty

The 24-year-old won his third grand prix in a row at the last race in Miami to take his season tally to four wins from the opening six races.

He became the first McLaren driver since the flying Finn Mika Hakkinen in 1997-98 to win three consecutive grand prix.

After taking his win in Miami, Piastri has now extended his lead over teammate Lando Norris to 16 points in the championship standings.

Piastri’s stunning start to the year has fuelled hopes of the 24-year-old becoming Australia’s first Formula 1 world champion since Alan Jones 45 years ago.

GOOGLE’s MOST ASKED OSCAR PIASTRI QUESTIONS

How old is Oscar Piastri?

Piastri turned 24 on April 6.

Where is Oscar Piastri from?

Piastri was born and grew up in Melbourne in the bayside suburb of Brighton. His parents are Chris and Nicole. He has three younger sisters. He attended Haileybury College in Melbourne before moving to England in 2016 to pursue his motorsport career.

Where does Oscar Piastri live?

Like many of the F1 drivers, Piastri lives in Monaco. But his team McLaren is based in Woking in England. His mother and sisters still live in Melbourne.

Fans want to know more about Australia’s latest F1 superstar, Oscar Piastri. Picture: Getty

Who is Oscar Piastri?

Piastri is a Formula 1 driver for McLaren, currently leading the F1 world championship standings. He won the Formula 2 (2021) and Formula 3 (2020) championship titles in successive seasons and was a member of the Alpine Academy from 2020 to 2022 before he controversially signed a deal to join McLaren. Piastri replaced fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren.

When did Oscar Piastri join F1?

Piastri made his Formula 1 debut in 2023 for McLaren. He scored his first race points in just his third F1 race, finishing 8th at his home Australian grand prix in Melbourne after starting 16th. He had two podium results in his rookie season, finishing third in Japan and second in Qatar where he also won his first sprint race. He finished 9th in the world drivers’ championship. In 2024 Piastri finished fourth in the world drivers’ championship, claiming his first F1 grand prix win in Hungary and a second victory at Azerbaijan as McLaren claimed a historic constructors’ championship.

OTHER QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OSCAR PIASTRI

Does Oscar Piastri have a girlfriend?

Piastri is dating childhood sweetheart Lily Zneimer. She is often seen at race tracks and the pair often post photos together on social media. An engineering graduate, they reportedly met during schooling and began dating in 2019.

Oscar Piastri spotted ahead of the Miami GP with girlfriend Lily Zneimer. Picture: Getty

Who is Oscar Piastri’s manager?

Former Australian F1 driver Mark Webber is acting as Piastri’s manager and adviser. The pair have developed a strong relationship and Webber’s experience and influence is seen as a crucial part of Piastri’s development – from navigating the tricky world of F1 team politics to handling his growing popularity on and off the track.

How much is Oscar Piastri worth?

Piastri signed a new contract with McLaren at the start of the 2025 F1 season, reportedly bringing him into pay parity with teammate Lando Norris on $20m a year. Piastri has a major sponsorship deal with Quad Lock while his helmet and race uniform is plastered with sponsors including the likes of Monster Energy, Jack Daniels, Mastercard, Dell Technologies, Android and Grill’d burgers.

Does Oscar Piastri have his own burger?

Yes, ahead of the Australian F1 GP Piastri partnered with Grill’d burgers to create the Oscar Piastri burger. It was only available for a limited time.

Does Oscar Piastri have his own merchandise?

OP81 is Piastri’s signature clothing line. He sells everything from T-shirt ($69.99), to caps ($69.99), hoodies ($119.99), Christmas sweaters ($79.99) and mini replica helmets ($339.99).

Originally published as Oscar Piastri takes down Daniel Ricciardo in F1 popularity – but what else do we know about Aussie star?