Formula One icon Guenther Steiner says Oscar Piastri primed to win Melbourne Grand Prix

In an exclusive interview, Formula One icon Guenther Steiner has declared Oscar Piastri is ready to not only win his home Grand Prix, but take out the world championship.

Formula One icon Guenther Steiner has declared Aussie Oscar Piastri ready to not only win next month’s Melbourne Grand Prix but take out the world championship in his third season.

In an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun, former F1 team principal Steiner made the bold call that Melbourne-born and bred young gun Piastri was primed to become the first Aussie to win his home race in 45 years.

“I think he has the right car now and I think this is his year,” he said.

“Coming in as a rookie he overdelivered for a rookie in 2023 and in ’24 he followed up with some improvement.

“And this year, now he’s ready to go for it.”

The respected F1 pundit predicted Piastri would challenge defending champion Max Verstappen, sporting great Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris for the title.

It would make Piastri one of the youngest F1 champions in history and catapult his status among the biggest Aussie names in world sport.

Piastri celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit. Picture: Dan Mullan

“I think he’s very good and for sure learned a lot last year,” he said.

“One of the things to look forward to for sure this year is McLaren because I think talent-wise, Lando and Oscar are very close.

“I think they are the same. They have got the same speed ... I think as the season goes they will want one of their guys to go for the driver’s championship.

“Obviously the pressure now comes onto Oscar because he shows he can do it.

“Now he needs to want it a little bit more, because he wants to win a world championship now.”

Piastri would become just the third Australian, after Alan Jones in 1980 and Sir Jack Brabham in 1959, ’60 and ’66 if he could clinch the world title and the first local to win a home Grand Prix since 1980 – 21 years before he was born.

But even Jones’s 1980 Aus GP win came at Calder Park before the race was an F1 championship event.

Piastri driving the (81) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes during Sprint Qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar. Picture: Clive Mason

Oscar Piastri ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy. Picture: Clive Rose

Steiner, who shot to fame in Netflix’s hugely popular Drive to Survive, said: “I think it would be a pretty cool story for you Australians.”

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was 23 years and 134 days old when he became the youngest man to win the world title in 2010.

Seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton was 23 and 300 days when he won his first world crown in 2008.

Piastri will turn 24 in April, as he chases success in Melbourne and globally Aussie F1 stars Daniel Ricciardo and Mark Webber failed to conquer before him.

Steiner, who will undertake a speaking tour in March taking in Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, predicted a close F1 season.

The former Haas principal said Piastri’s teammate Norris “is no fool, Lando will not give it to him, so he will need to fight for it”.

“But he has got a good opportunity this year.”

He said Piastri should not be overawed in the season opening race at Albert Park on March 16.

Guenther Steiner made the bold call that Piastri will be the first Aussie to win the Melbourne Grand Prix in 45 years. Picture: Rebecca Michael

“It’s his home town, Melbourne, and there is additional pressure at home but I think McLaren will make sure that they don’t overwork him and he can focus on the race,” he said.

“That is the most important thing but I think Oscar knows his way around all the race tracks of the world.”

Piastri won two grands prix – in Hungary and Azerbaijan – and finished fourth in the drivers’ standings while helping McLaren clinch the constructor’s championship last year.