Oscar Piastri makes 'head and shoulders' declaration after F1 title heartbreak

Oscar Piastri believes his 2025 F1 season stands "head and shoulders" above his first two campaigns, despite his title heartbreak.

During his third campaign, Piastri led the drivers' standings from the Saudi Arabian GP to the Mexico City race, but a dreadful slump in form late on handed the advantage to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. 

Piastri ultimately finished just 13 points behind Norris, with both drivers on seven grand prix wins as he improved on his 2024 result of two grand prix wins and ending 82 points behind Norris, who was runner-up to Verstappen. 

A major breakthrough for Piastri was in qualifying in particular, as the Melbourne-native detailed how he would take lessons not just learned in the car into the 2026 season.

"I think definitely I can be very proud of the season I’ve had. When I look at this season compared to my first two years in F1, this year has been head and shoulders above the first two," Piastri told media, including RacingNews365. 

"Ultimately, whilst the end result is not quite what I wanted, there’s a lot of optimism and a lot of strength that I’ve gained from proving to myself what I can achieve through this season. 

"Those are the kinds of things that are not necessarily tied to results. So I think for me, I can definitely take that forward into the future. It’s only my third attempt at this in F1. 

"Hopefully, I’ve got plenty more to go, but there are definitely lessons from this year that will only make me stronger.

"There’ve definitely been lessons directly to do with how I drive the car, how I can be better in different conditions, and just become a better all-around driver. 

"There have also been lessons outside the car — dealing with adversity, dealing with difficult moments. I’ve learned a lot about myself in those kinds of things.

"So, there have been lessons both in and out of the car that will definitely help me for the future."