ANALYSIS: Why McLaren have locked down Oscar Piastri to a new contract extension now

McLaren have made a habit of not wanting to hang about when it comes to handing out contract extensions to their drivers and senior leadership team in the last couple of years.

Their latest move to extend Oscar Piastri’s stay at the team still further proves how much he impressed them in his second year, how highly they rate him and how sought-after he is by some of their rivals.

Piastri only joined McLaren at the start of 2023, the Australian leaping over from Alpine and impressing so quickly, he earned a multi-year extension after just 15 races with the iconic British team.

Ahead of this third campaign in F1, McLaren have locked him down until at least the end of 2027 and possibly longer – though as with any F1 contract, there are likely to be a plethora of options and clauses on both sides.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 08: 10th placed Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren — Oscar Piastri is preparing for his third season in F1 and with McLaren after helping the squad win the Teams' Championship in 2024

Piastri’s rise has been rapid, the back-to-back F3 and F2 champion ticking off a string of new milestones with ease last year.

He clinched his first win in Hungary – and made that two by the end of the season with his triumph in Azerbaijan. He added another six podiums, a Sprint win and two further Sprint podiums to finish a career-best fourth in the Drivers’ Standings, ahead of highly-rated Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

This kind of form was what McLaren were hoping for when they tempted him away from Alpine – and it unsurprisingly led rivals to add him to their respective wishlists. For example, sources say Red Bull have been an admirer of him for several months now and were keen to find a way to bring him over.

In that sense, given McLaren knew they wanted Piastri to be part of their future, there was no point in waiting around to extend his stay beyond 2026.

Striking to extend Piastri’s deal having just won the Teams’ Championship put them in a good negotiating position too, as they know they offer a superb platform for Piastri to achieve his dreams of winning the Drivers’ Championship.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 15: Race winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren celebrates in — Oscar Piastri secured two Grand Prix victories in 2024, including Azerbaijan

'I feel like I have all the tools at my disposal now'

Piastri could have explored other options, but it’s clear how happy he is at McLaren.

The culture of the team, under the leadership of Team Principal Andrea Stella, is very attractive – and the team’s relentless development curve over the last 24 months suggests they are in the groove and the coming force in F1 right now, even with sweeping new rules coming in next year.

When we spoke last month, Piastri was evidently very happy with where he was – and the steps he’s been able to make personally, which include better race craft, better consistency and belief he has developed a quality box of skills to fight at the front, means the McLaren combination is what makes sense for the foreseeable future.

“As a team we are in a strong place,” says Piastri. “We have gained some confidence and gained experience in the last 12 months of how to be a race-winning and championship-winning team again.

“For myself, being part of that environment is incredibly exciting. I feel like I have all the tools at my disposal now, which I don’t think I necessarily felt 12 months ago.

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“It’s now about making sure I use them all the time and put my best foot forward as often as I can. I’ve got confidence from getting wins under my belt – so I know I can do it. It’s just about trying to do that more often.”

He added: “I’m confident I’ve got what it takes this year and hopefully we can come out with a strong car at the beginning of the season and start our year on the right foot.”

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Can two top-line drivers work for McLaren?

Some might say that having two top-line drivers in one team is a recipe for disaster – and the flashpoint in Hungary last year, when Lando Norris delayed giving Piastri the lead back as part of team orders, or when they battled hard and lost the win in Monza were good examples. But McLaren do not subscribe to this – and there were plenty of examples, including in Baku, where they worked well as a team.

Stella and CEO Zak Brown have complete confidence in Norris and Piastri as a pairing and believe, as a collective, they will ensure that the team’s interests are given priority.

Piastri clearly believes this is the case, and that he will have a shot at winning the drivers’ championship if he gets the job done, otherwise he wouldn’t have signed the extension.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren talks to the media as Lando — Piastri and Norris will be going into a third season together as team mates at McLaren

With Norris having agreed a contract extension at the start of last year, McLaren will have continuity in their line-up for the foreseeable.

It allows the drivers to focus on the job rather than their future and history shows that stability – particularly when all parts of the machine are already working so seamlessly – plays a big part in bringing silverware back to base.

Now it’s up to McLaren to prove last year wasn’t a one-off and for the line-up of Piastri and Norris to prove they individually have what it takes to win the biggest prize of all. May the best driver win.