Oscar Piastri reaches McLaren conclusion after 'bumpy road' 2025

Oscar Piastri has conceded to enduring a 'rollercoaster' and "bumpy" 2025 F1 campaign but is adamant he is in "a nice place" with McLaren going into the 2026 season.

For the majority of the year, it appeared as if Piastri would become the first Australian in 45 years to become an F1 drivers' champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

Following his grand chelem performance in the Dutch Grand Prix, which was remarkably McLaren's first since the 1988 Monaco GP, Piastri held a 34-point cushion over team-mate Lando Norris and was 104 points clear of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

From the following race at Monza onwards, however, the wheels started to come off Piastri's title challenge. Just five races later, his advantage had been wiped out as Norris reclaimed a lead he never relinquished through to taking his first championship.

Piastri even slumped to third by the time the chequered flag fell on the record-equalling 24-race season, finishing 13 points adrift of Norris, who beat Verstappen by a mere two points.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for Piastri, who scored seven victories across the year, the same as Norris, only to fall short at the death.

With the dust having settled on his season, however, a more reflective Piastri knows that after just three F1 seasons under his belt, his time will come.

Agreeing with the assessment that his year was "a rollercoaster", speaking to Australian broadcaster 7Sport, he said: "Yeah, it definitely was.

"You know, looking back on it, on the whole, I'm very proud of what I achieved.

"Also, for the team to have a car and a season as strong as we did was a great success.

"Obviously, [there were] a few bumps along the road and a few hurdles to get over, and plenty of lessons learned for the future.

"But to have the year we had, and to feel like there's still plenty more progress to come, is a nice place to be."