With his future with Formula One champions McLaren locked in with a new multi-year deal, Oscar Piastri says the Australian Grand Prix's return as season-opener has added another level of intrigue.
Already under contract until 2026, the 23-year-old is believed to have added another two years to his deal with the powerhouse British team.
"It's really exciting," Piastri said in Melbourne on Wednesday.
"We've gone early and extended it even further so I'm really excited.
"Obviously, last year was a phenomenal year.
"My first year with the team, it started on a bit of a low, but we found our feet at halfway through the season.
"For myself and for the team, in both directions, it made a lot of sense to lock our future together for long term."
With his McLaren future assured, Piastri is now turning his focus to a drought-breaking victory in his home-town on Sunday.
No Australian driver has ever stood on the Albert Park circuit podium, while Alan Jones was the most recent local winner, back in 1980 at Calder Park raceway, before the race joined the F1 world championship calendar in 1985.
Last year, in his second season, Piastri finished fourth on the lakeside track, going on to finish fourth in the drivers' championship by claiming his first F1 victory in Hungary before winning again at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Australian Grand Prix has returned to top spot on the calendar for the first time since 2019 which Piastri, unsure of the pace of his rivals, says pumps up the excitement.
"It's very special, as a kid, I grew up with Melbourne being round one so it's really nice to have it back as the season-opener," he said.
"In the last couple years, we have the testing in Bahrain, and we go race in Bahrain, and everyone kind of knows roughly what's going to happen - this weekend I don't think anyone knows what's going to happen.
"So it's going to be an exciting round and the Melbourne weather is really keeping us on our toes.
"I'm looking forward to getting down the track to see what kind of pace ... everyone has but I think it's going to be a pretty exciting weekend, one way or the other."
Australian Grand Prix chief executive Travis Auld felt Piastri had all of the credentials for the break-through win.
"He's a Melbourne boy and there's huge hype around Oscar for round one and it won't worry Oscar," said Auld, at the launch of a F1 fan site at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.
"He's as well-placed as anyone - we saw his season and there's talk about him being a potential world champion so he brings an enormous amount of hype.
"If he can do it, thank god we've got the track walk post-race because I think they will fill it."
With McLaren expected to carry over their constructors'-winning form into the new season, Piastri looks set to battle with team-mate Lando Norris - who was second last year - for the 2025 world title.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said Piastri's new deal was a "no-brainer" for the team.
"It's fantastic to confirm Oscar's extension," Brown 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 (Piastri) 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."
with PA
