‘No-brainer’: McLaren locks down ‘impressive’ Oscar Piastri with fresh deal

Oscar Piastri will remain at McLaren for several more years after signing a new deal that will keep the title-winning team together.

Oscar Piastri has signed a multi-year contract extension that will keep him at McLaren until at least the end of 2028.

McLaren said Piastri’s new deal will guarantee long-term stability at the team as it seeks to build on its first constructors championship in 26 years.

It also keeps the Aussie off the market for the next major contract window opening next season, when as many as 16 seats could be up for grabs for 2027.

Watch every qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during racing. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision,” Piastri said.

“The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible.”

The 23-year-old Melburnian claimed his maiden grand prix victory at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, beating teammate Lando Norris off the line and controlling most of the race thereafter.

But his victory in Azerbaijan later in the season was harder fought, requiring him to put a gutsy pass on Charles Leclerc for the lead and then absorb pressure from the faster Ferrari for the final 30 laps of the race.

The win was characteristic of the ice-cold attitude that came to the fore in Piastri’s second F1 season. The Australian has regularly demonstrated a killer instinct behind the wheel and a fine judgement in battle beyond his years, marking him out as a 2025 championship challenger.

“There are so many talented and special people working at McLaren Technology Centre who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career,” he said. “Therefore, I’m very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come.

McLaren’s driver line-up is secure for a few more years. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Piastri crypically tweeted earlier on Wednesday: “Got a good feeling about today.”

F1 driver salaries aren’t made public but it’s likely Piastri will have secured himself a pay rise.

According to Forbes, Piastri’s previous deal saw him earn a base salary of A$8 million and hefty bonuses took his total earnings to A$35.6 million last year as McLaren won the constructors championship for the first time since 1998.

That made him the seventh highest paid F1 driver in 2024, but he still earned more than $20 million less than teammate Norris.

Norris is heading into his seventh year with McLaren but both drivers are expected to contend for the drivers championship this season.

“I’m excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver, and after last year’s fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.”

Oscar Piastri has signed a contract extension with McLaren. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Piastri’s extension follows other high-profile contract announcements that will bind the 2024 constructors title winning team together for the foreseeable future.

Norris was re-signed until at least the end of 2027 last January. CEO Zak Brown subsequently had his contract extended until 2030 in March. Team principal Andrea Stella then recommitted to the team on an unspecified “multi-year” deal in August.

Piastri’s end-2028 deal is the equal longest known contract duration on the grid, matching Max Verstappen.

CEO Brown, who described Piastri as a “future world champion” just months after his debut, said the lengthy new deal was a “no-brainer” given how well the Australian has integrated into the team since his 2023 debut.

“It’s fantastic to confirm Oscar’s extension with McLaren,” he said. “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.

“He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 constructors championship last season, so we’re all excited to see what we can do in the years to come as we continue to fight for world championships together.”

Team principal Stella said having Piastri confirmed for the long term will give the team the stability it needs to capitalise on its 2024 teams title success.

“Further extending our partnership with Oscar is a symbol of our belief and trust in him as a driver as well as a reflection of our shared ambition to continue in our fight for championships together,” he said.

“It has been a pleasure working with Oscar throughout the past two seasons, and he has continued to prove how impressive he is in terms of his talent, determination and work ethic as a driver and his contribution to our team and culture as a person.

“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.”

McLaren is tipped to start the season with the fastest car after showing glimpses of impressive performance during pre-season testing.

Norris will start the campaign as the title favourite after finishing runner-up to Verstappen last season, but Piastri’s rate of development over his first two Formula 1 campaigns has set him up as a potential key antagonist for the Briton.

“His rate of improvement hasn’t really dulled in 39 races,” his race engineer, Tom Stallard, told the F1 Nation podcast late last season. “He keeps learning, he keeps improving, he keeps wanting information, going through stuff. We discuss things. He goes and executes it.

“If you’re improving at that rate, what’s the limit? The limit comes when that improvement flattens off, and at the moment we’ve seen no sign of that flattening off, so that’s obviously going well.”

Stallard also praised Piastri’s work at the factory, where he was easing into his role as a team leader.

“One of the things that world champion drivers do is to galvanise the team and the factory into having great belief, not just in that driver but also in themselves,” he said.

“It’s a strange environment because you’re 22 years old and suddenly you’re a leader in a company of a thousand people, essentially, which doesn’t happen to very many 22-year-olds.

“The team looks at you for guidance and support and leadership, and his ability to do that is also really coming on and developing.”

Piastri finished fourth in last year’s championship standings behind Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc.

Originally published as ‘No-brainer’: McLaren locks down ‘impressive’ Oscar Piastri with fresh deal