Somewhere near the end of Oscar Piastri’s press conference last week when McLaren launched its Formula 1 car for 2025, the Australian answered a question that nobody was asking.
The actual question was about his relationship with team-mate Lando Norris and how McLaren would handle the competitiveness between the two.
Towards the end of his answer, Piastri said: “I want to win the world championship this year and hopefully we have a car that's capable of doing that.” It was a nothing quote as there is yet to be an F1 driver that didn’t want to win the title.
But, sensing he’d stated the obvious, he doubled down and added during the follow up question: "I do think that I can become world champion this year.” It was a confident statement, but can he?
The answer to this is absolutely yes. Piastri’s performances over the past two years have been so mature and measured that it is still mind-boggling that this will be only his third season in F1.
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During those first two campaigns, Piastri has evolved from rookie to race winner and seemingly done so without any emotion.
In a recent debate among Autosport’s writers, Piastri was identified to be one of the biggest threats to Norris’s own title expectations.
Last season, he achieved two grand prix wins and finished fourth in the championship but those victories in Hungary and Baku were contrasted by Norris clearly getting the better of him during qualifying.
Piastri spent time at home during the winter, which seems to have given him added impetus and the self-belief that he can fight for the title this season and, given his astronomical progress, it is not unthinkable that he can find another gear.
Those close to Piastri speak about his raw talent but also his ability to rapidly improve.
Last year, Autosport spoke to Rob McIntyre, who mentored Piastri’s early racing career when he moved to the UK and he revealed an anecdote about the F1 driver’s first test in a racing car, held at the Anglesey circuit.
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McIntyre tells a story where Piastri’s improvements lap after lap left the Arden race engineers, who were holding the test, stunned to learn that this was his first run out.
By the end of the second day, Piastri - who was told to get as close as he could to the lap time set by Jack Aitken - had surpassed the Briton’s benchmark.
So, while he admits he might not be the “finished product”, there is all the potential that if he can continue his sensational development to the point where he can close the gap to Norris in qualifying, then Piastri can more than match him for results in Sunday races and pull himself into contention for the title.
It was a bold statement but perhaps it is not as far-fetched as it might seem.
