ANALYSIS: Why McLaren moved to lock down Piastri with a fresh contract extension

As rookie seasons go, Oscar Piastri is knitting together a mighty fine one that delivers on his immense promise.

So good has the Australian been, that after just 15 races, McLaren have moved to lock him down by extending a deal that still had more than a year to run. F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto explains why…

Piastri rewards McLaren’s faith in him

Piastri arrived at McLaren with a heap of expectation on his shoulders. The 22-year-old won the championship in F3 and F2, both at the first time of asking – only George Russell and Charles Leclerc have previously achieved such a feat. He then turned down the chance to race for Alpine in 2023 in favour of joining McLaren – Piastri feeling more love and support from the papaya team.