“Shocking Exposé: Unraveling Oscar Jack Piastri’s Controversial Biography!”

Oscar Jack Piastri, born April 6, 2001, is an Australian racing driver competing in Formula One for McLaren.

Piastri secured the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, the 2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship, and the 2021 Formula 2 Championship with Prema Racing. He is one of six drivers to win the Formula 2 Championship in their rookie season and one of five to win both the GP3/Formula 3 Championship and the GP2/Formula 2 Championship consecutively. He is the first to claim the Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3, and Formula 2 titles in successive rookie years.

Personal life

Oscar Piastri, born in Melbourne, Australia, to Chris and Nicole Piastri, grew up in Brighton. He attended Haileybury College in Melbourne and later Haileybury and Imperial Service College in England on a sports scholarship. Chris Piastri, now the founder of HP Tuners, served as his mechanic in Australia. Piastri, with Italian, Yugoslavian, and Chinese roots, has three sisters and supports the Richmond Tigers.

Junior career

Karting

Piastri transitioned from racing remote controlled cars at a national level to karting in 2011. By 2014, he had turned professional, participating in Australian races and championships. The following year, he joined Ricky Flynn Motorsport to compete in European and CIK-FIA sanctioned karting championships. In 2016, Piastri relocated to the United Kingdom to advance his career, achieving a sixth-place finish in the World Championship held in Bahrain.

Formula 4

2016

In early 2016, Piastri secured his initial major sponsorship from HP Tuners, his father’s company, providing crucial support for his racing endeavors. This sponsorship was prominently showcased on his racing suit and car throughout the GP3 Series, F3, and F2 seasons. Later that year, Piastri made his single-seater debut in selected rounds of the Formula 4 UAE Championship with Dragon F4, clinching two podium finishes and securing sixth place in the championship standings.

2017

In 2017, Piastri joined the TRS Arden Junior Racing Team for the British F4 championship. He secured six wins and six pole positions, ultimately finishing as the runner-up to Jamie Caroline. In September 2022, Christian Horner, principal of Red Bull Racing, disclosed that they had missed an opportunity to sign Piastri to their junior team during his Formula 4 tenure.

GP3 Series

In December 2018, Piastri participated in the post-season test at Yas Marina with Trident.

Formula Renault Eurocup

2018

In 2018, Piastri made his debut in the Formula Renault Eurocup Championship, rejoining Arden. He secured three podium finishes, including a second-place finish at the second race in Hockenheim, ultimately finishing the season ninth in the championship standings.

2019

In December 2018, it was announced that Piastri would join reigning team champions R-ace GP for the 2019 championship. He achieved his first victory in the series at Silverstone and secured a second win at the same venue the following day. Piastri made history by becoming the first driver to win three races in 2019 with a victory at Spa-Francorchamps in July. He clinched the championship title by securing a win and fourth place at the final round at Yas Marina.

FIA Formula 3 Championship

In October 2019, Piastri joined Prema Racing for post-season testing, and in January 2020, he signed with the team for the upcoming FIA Formula 3 season, alongside Logan Sargeant and Frederik Vesti. Starting third on the grid for his debut race at the Red Bull Ring, Piastri collided with pole-sitter Sebastián Fernández but recovered to win. Despite a stuck-open DRS causing his first retirement at Silverstone, he claimed victory at the Barcelona sprint race. Piastri faced setbacks, including a penalty at Spa-Francorchamps, but regained the championship lead with a third-place finish at Monza’s feature race. Despite challenges in the final race at Mugello, Piastri secured the championship title by finishing seventh, edging out his closest rivals Théo Pourchaire and Logan Sargeant.

FIA Formula 2 Championship

Piastri driving the Dallara F2 2018 during the 2021 Silverstone Formula 2 round.

In December 2020, Piastri confirmed his continuation with Prema Racing in Formula 2, replacing Mick Schumacher and teaming up with Ferrari Driver Academy member Robert Shwartzman for the 2021 season. He started strong with a fifth-place finish in his debut race, followed by a thrilling win in the second race at Bahrain, where he overtook Zhou Guanyu on the final lap. Despite setbacks, including retirement at Silverstone and a collision in Baku, Piastri showed resilience, securing pole position and leading the championship standings after strong performances in subsequent rounds. He further solidified his title bid with wins at Monza and Sochi, eventually sealing the championship with a podium finish at Yas Marina, making him only the third driver to win the championship in their rookie season. Piastri’s achievement also placed him in elite company alongside Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hülkenberg, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell as the only drivers to win the GP2/F2 title in their rookie seasons. He also became just the fifth driver after Hamilton, Hülkenberg, Leclerc, and Russell to win the GP3/F3 title and then the GP2/F2 title the following year, and notably the first driver to win three consecutive F1 feeder series championships, starting with his 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup title.

Formula One

In January 2020, Piastri joined the Renault Sport Academy. Following his victory in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2020, he participated in his maiden Formula One test in October with the Renault F1 Team at Bahrain International Circuit. He continued with the Alpine Academy in 2021 and drove the Alpine A521 in the post-season young drivers’ test at Yas Marina Circuit in December. After clinching the Formula 2 title, Piastri was appointed as the reserve driver for the Alpine F1 Team for the 2022 season. Additionally, he became available as a reserve driver for McLaren through a collaboration between the two teams. Piastri engaged in testing sessions with Alpine throughout the season, including at the Circuit of the Americas, Losail International Circuit, and Silverstone Circuit. McLaren’s team principal, Andreas Seidl, later confirmed that Piastri underwent a private two-day testing session in a previous-spec McLaren car at Circuit Paul Ricard the week prior to the São Paulo Grand Prix.

Contract dispute and Contract Recognition Board hearing

In June 2022, reports emerged indicating that Piastri would drive for Williams in 2023 on loan from Alpine, who were initially planning to retain Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. However, in August, Alonso announced his departure from Alpine to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin. Subsequently, Alpine announced that Piastri would replace Alonso in 2023, although Piastri himself contradicted this via a post on Twitter, denying any signed contract with the team. Alpine’s team principal criticized Piastri’s actions and threatened legal action, claiming loyalty was expected from the former academy driver.

A hearing by the FIA’s Contract Recognition Board (CRB) began on August 29, 2022, aiming to determine Piastri’s contractual status with Alpine and his freedom to join another team for 2023. Alpine lost the case, and Piastri’s move to McLaren was confirmed shortly after. The CRB disclosed the date Piastri signed his McLaren contract, which was July 4, 2022, indicating a reserve role initially, pending a contract termination with Daniel Ricciardo. Piastri cited a “breakdown in trust” with Alpine as the reason behind his decision to leave the team.

McLaren (2023–present)

2023 season

In 2023, Piastri joined McLaren alongside Lando Norris. Alpine terminated Piastri’s contract early to facilitate his participation in McLaren’s post-season testing session after the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Piastri’s debut race at the Bahrain Grand Prix saw him retire due to car issues, but he bounced back at his home race in Australia, securing his first points for McLaren with an eighth-place finish. Piastri faced mixed fortunes in subsequent races, finishing 11th in Azerbaijan, 19th in Miami, and 10th in Monaco. In Spain, he failed to convert his starting position into points, finishing 13th. Despite crashing in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, Piastri started 8th and finished 11th after Norris received a penalty. He narrowly missed out on points in a frustrating race.

At the British Grand Prix, Piastri qualified third, achieving a career-best. He finished fourth, less than a second behind Lewis Hamilton. In Hungary, he finished fifth after running as high as second before pit stops. Piastri secured his first top-three finish at the Belgian Grand Prix’s sprint race but retired from the main race following a collision with Carlos Sainz. Piastri signed a contract extension with McLaren until 2026, and at the Japanese Grand Prix, he qualified second and finished third, earning his maiden podium. He won his first sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix and finished second in the main race, earning his second podium of the season.

Karting record

Karting career summary