Days out from his home event – the Australian Formula One Grand Prix – McLaren has locked in Oscar Piastri to drive with the team beyond 2026 in a new multi-year deal.
Australian Formula One driver Oscar Piastri has been given a contract extension with his current world championship winning team McLaren which sees him reportedly locked in until 2028.
The deal – described by McLaren as ‘multi-year’ without sharing specifics – extends the Melbourne-born driver’s previous contract which already had the 23-year-old driving at the British-based team until the end of 2026.
“It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision,” Piastri said in a media statement.
“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.”
Piastri and team-mate Lando Norris combined to see McLaren win the 2024 Formula One (F1) Constructors’ Championship, its first title since 1998 – before either of its current drivers were born.
“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,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
“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.”
Critically for McLaren, it staves off broader interest in Piastri – who is highly regarded among team principals and rivals in the F1 paddock – from rival teams looking to lure him away.
In the latest season of Drive to Survive – released by Netflix on 7 March – Red Bull boss Christian Horner was asked which of the two McLaren drivers he would like on his team, and instantly responded, “Oscar.”
It also comes as a significant rule change arrives in 2026, which typically resets the pecking order of the field – and includes an additional team in the form of Cadillac, alongside Ford joining Red Bull and Sauber rebranded as Audi – meaning the currently in-form McLaren may no longer be the team to beat.
Piastri finished fourth in the drivers’ standings last season with the first two Grand Prix wins of his career – in Hungary and Azerbaijan – backing up Norris’ title challenge to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Melburnian heads into this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in a prime position, after pre-season testing saw the 2025 McLaren MCL39 produce the fastest race pace to be firm favourites.
The 2025 F1 field hits the Albert Park circuit for the first time on Friday 14 March when Practice 1 kicks off at 12:30 local time.
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