Oscar Piastri details 2025 mindset change

McLaren Formula 1 driver Oscar Piastri has explained how his mindset changed in 2025 as he fought his team-mate Lando Norris for the championship title.

In his third season in F1, the Australian driver managed a third-place finish overall with seven grand prix wins and nine grand prix podium finishes. In comparison, he finished fourth in 2024 with two grand prix wins and six grand prix podiums.

During an interview with Quad Lock, Piastri admitted that the jump in performance that he made from 2024 to 2025 was bigger than he had expected.

"On the whole, the step I took from 2024 into 2025 was probably bigger than I, and quite a lot of people, expected," the 25-year-old said.

"That was a really cool thing to make that progress and enter race weekends... I think this was the first year where I could enter every race weekend going, I know if I do a good enough job and get close to my potential, I can win every weekend.

"Whereas the last couple of years, there've been moments where I've felt like that, but there's always been that, what do I need to learn next, or what do I need to improve on next? And that's still something that you do. You're always trying to improve and evolve.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Photo by: Dom Gibbons / Formula 1 via Getty Images

"But to be at a level this year where I could enter most weekends going, if I do what I know I'm capable of, I can win. That's a pretty cool place to be."

Piastri suffered a torrid start to the 2026 season. He currently sits sixth in the drivers' standings with 21 points.

After failing to start the Australian Grand Prix due to a crash on a reconnaissance lap, and the Chinese Grand Prix due to an electrical fault, he finally began his campaign at the Japanese Grand Prix and finished second. He also completed the Chinese sprint race, in which he finished sixth.