‘Future world champion’: Oscar Piastri consoled by girlfriend, family after F1 heartbreak

Oscar Piastri has shared a touching moment with his girlfriend after his bid to win the Formula One world championship ended in heartbreak.

Oscar Piastri has been consoled by his girlfriend and family in touching scenes after he fell agonisingly short of winning his maiden Formula One title overnight on Monday.

Max Verstappen won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Piastri and Lando Norris, who did exactly what he needed to, clinching the drivers’ championship by two points ahead of Verstappen.

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Piastri drove superbly, overtaking his teammate on the first lap but without any crashes or safety cars, his unlikely late bid to become Australia’s first F1 champion in 45 years came up short.

He ultimately finished 13 points behind Norris, who was crowned McLaren’s first world champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and the team’s eighth champion in history.

Norris was emotional as he crossed the finish line, shedding a tear behind his helmet before embracing his family and McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who couldn’t contain his excitement.

In touching scenes, Piastri was united with his family after the race as he hopped out of his car — hugged by mum Nicole and his three sisters Hattie, Edie and Mae.

His dad Chris and girlfriend Lily Zneimer were also on hand in Abu Dhabi for the season finale, so Piastri was surrounded by his loved ones for the most stressful and heartbreaking moment of his career so far.

In a touching video shared to F1’s official TikTok account, Piastri and Lily shared a hug and a kiss in a tender moment behind the scenes.

The couple have been together since they began dating in high school and Lily has been by Piastri’s side at several races this season — she hosted a dinner with several of the drivers’ partners on the eve of the season finale.

Oscar Piastri is consoled by his girlfriend Lily.

Oscar Piastri's girlfriend Lily Zneimer (left) and his family.

Piastri was understandably gutted but was all class, congratulating Norris and his family, including the Brit’s mum Cisca, who gave the Aussie a hug in a lovely moment post-race.

Heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Piastri’s dad said he didn’t buy into the conspiracy theories that McLaren were favouring Norris over his son.

Earlier, Brown didn’t exactly read the room with his jubilant radio message thanking Piastri for being a “team player”, but the Aussie took it in his stride.

“Thanks everyone, well done to Lando,” Piastri said on team radio.

“It’s been a great season trying to beat each other, so congratulations. Well done to everyone in the team, fantastic season. Thanks for all the work.

“We tried our best to get there, but it wasn’t to be.”

Piastri finished the 2025 season third in the standings on 410 points, behind Verstappen (421 points) and Norris (423 points), who won by just two points in the end.

Remarkably, Verstappen finished the season with 10 podiums in a row to finish the year with eight race wins, one more than both of the McLaren drivers.

There were countless sliding door moments throughout the season when Piastri missed out on crucial points, notably a six-race streak between Azerbaijan and Qatar where he couldn’t get on the podium as his 34-point lead slipped away.

Lando Norris’ mum Cisca Wauman embraces Oscar Piastri. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Oscar Piastri sprays world champion Lando Norris with champagne. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP)

“You can’t help but think one rainy corner in his backyard in Melbourne — he was so unlucky to go off onto the grass and lose so many points there,” Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports.

“Or two hard penalties on him in Silverstone and Brazil that could have easily been mitigated into five-second penalties or no penalties. There are a number of little turning points but you can’t change that.

“Now he’s got to work out where he can be stronger, work closely with the team and draw a line under it — easier said than done.

“This low-grip, bumpy circuits, he knows he’s got to nail that.

“Otherwise he’s got everything else under control. If McLaren have a strong car next year, he’ll be a mighty force for the championship.”

But there’s plenty of positives to take away for Piastri, who was labelled a “future world champion” as the dust settled on his 2025 campaign in Abu Dhabi.

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg said there’s reason for Piastri and his fans to be optimistic.

“Oscar’s done an amazing season, he’s a future world champion,” Rosberg said on Sky Sports.

“McLaren have an incredibly strong line-up. Lando deserved it this year, but there’s no reason why Oscar can’t turn things around for next year, if they again have such a strong car, which remains to be seen.

“Oscar, phenomenal. His superpower is his mental strength, always the same and level-headed. Even today, in this insane defeat at the end of the season, he’s still the same. That’s a superpower.”

“He is a future world champion. Both of our guys won seven races, drove brilliantly, supported each other,” Brown told Sky Sports.

“It’s a cruel sport, things sometimes go your way, sometimes don’t. I’m excited to go racing with these two drivers next year.”

The 2026 F1 season begins at the Australian Grand Prix in March, ushering in a new era of regulations for the sport.

Originally published as ‘Future world champion’: Oscar Piastri consoled by girlfriend, family after F1 heartbreak