The Melbourne-born McLaren star talks exclusively to Forbes Australia about preparing for the 2025 F1 season-opener in the city where his motorsport career began, and getting home for lunch with mum.
In person, Oscar Piastri is just as cool, calm, and collected as he appears to be on television.
The 23-year-old is poised and polite as we sit down for an interview in Port Melbourne, just a 15-minute drive from Brighton, the Melbourne suburb where he grew up.
Ironically, from where we sit, getting to the exclusive beachside enclave where his mum still lives would require us to drive around Albert Park lake – the location and namesake of the racetrack where Piastri will compete to win the Sir Jack Brabham trophy on Sunday.
McLaren dominated qualifying on Saturday ahead of the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, locking out the front row for Sunday’s race. Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris secured pole position, and took out the checkered flag. Melbourne’s hometown hero lined up just behind him in P2, and finished 9th after spinning off the track on lap 44.
A hometown hero regardless of the outcome
“For me, having a home race in Australia is very special, but to have it in Melbourne is just another level on that,” Piastri says with a smile.
The 2025 race was the third time Piastri has raced F1 in his hometown. In 2023, his maiden season, Piastri finished 8th at Albert Park. Last year, he landed in 4th place, just missing a podium finish.
For the 2025 season, Piastri says ‘keeping it simple’ is key to being in the right headspace to dominate on the track.
“Early in my career, overthinking was an easy thing to do,” he says. Working his way through the junior motorsport ranks in his teen years has given Piastri knowledge and experience on how to deal with the outsized pressure of the world’s most popular annual competition.
“I always joke that I kind of wanted to be in F1, so I got an extra week at home, so here I am. I’m having my week at home.”
Oscar Piastri
“As you grow up in the sport, you learn along the path what works for you and what doesn’t. I started in go-karts and then worked my way up,” says Piastri. “Being calm and being able to handle the pressure really has become a strength of mine.”
True to form, the Forbes Australia 30 under 30 alumni, who won FIA rookie of the year in 2023, is known for his composure and relaxed demeanour.
“I try and catch myself if I’m starting to get too heavily into the details because I think it’s helpful to a point – and then it’s, you know, just detrimental after that,” says Piastri.
He keeps life as normal as possible in his downtime from the sport by spending time with friends and family. Monaco is now home for Piastri and his longtime girlfriend, Lily Zneimer, who met at high school in England, where McLaren is headquartered.
Piastri left Australia at age 14 to pursue racing in Europe, where the professional teams are concentrated. His trips home are a highlight of the year, he says.
“I always joke that I kind of wanted to be in F1, so I got an extra week at home, so here I am. I’m having my week at home,” says Piastri.
He has been able to get in some quality time with his mum on this trip, making a much-needed pit stop at her home for lunch before racing commitments kicked in.
“It was good to see her before the week. It’s always nice to see your family when you can. She made a salad for lunch, a very good salad, and the rest I think was from Baker’s Delight,” says Piastri.
Like McLaren’s superstar driver, Baker’s Delight is a homegrown Melbourne success story that has grown to have enormous popularity throughout the country. While the Hawthorn-originated business is not an official partner of Piastri, another Melbourne cult food chain is.
Melbourne brands getting on board
Grill’d Burgers, beloved by Australian athletes and Melburnians alike, is featuring a limited edition ‘Oscar Piastri wagyu beef burger‘ this month. Phone protection brand QuadLock has returned for a second year sponsoring McLaren, too.
Melbourne-founded unicorn Airwallex is also partnering with McLaren and Piastri, unveiling a high-performance hybrid supercar called the McLaren Artura Coupe.
“With Oscar Piastri leading the charge for Australia on the F1 circuit, we want to inspire Australian businesses to think differently, shift their perspectives, and seize opportunities on a global stage,” says Jon Stona, Airwallex VP of Global Marketing.
“We believe in pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo—whether in business, sport, or art. This collaboration with McLaren Racing and Reko Rennie is a testament to that mindset.”
The McLaren Artura was driven into the event by Piastri and will be on display in Melbourne during race weekend.
The Piastri effect on racing
Stona adds that the Australian Grand Prix has been an economic powerhouse for Melbourne and that Airwallex, founded by five Melbournians in 2015 – and now worth around $8.8 billion – is proud to be an official partner of the McLaren F1 team that Piastri drives for.
This year, Melbourne’s big event sold out in just an hour, and is expected to exceed the $268 million in economic impact it brought into the city in 2023.
The Piastri effect is not only felt locally, but is also noted by McLaren CEO Zac Brown.
“He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 Constructors’ Championship last season,” says Brown.
Accordingly, McLaren announced this week that Piastri’s contract has been extended. The exact terms have not been disclosed, but F1 sources say it is likely the team has locked Piastri in until at least the end of 2027 season.
“Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his time in papaya,” says Brown.
“I’m massively excited to race in my hometown again and hopefully bring home a good result. It’s always a super special event and the support that I receive is phenomenal.”
Oscar Piastri
That hard-charging yet gentle demeanour is on display in the pits during Piastri’s practice sessions on Friday. I watch as the composed Gen Z-er puts on his race boots, black face cover, and helmet, behind the roaring engine of a McLaren-emblazoned orange F1 beast. He remains unflappable.
On the right-hand side of the pit, his teammate – and sometimes-track-adversary – preps with his mechanics and engineers. Both men are in their mid-20s and remain unperturbed by the surrounding chaos.
They slide effortlessly into their confined racecar seats, leaving only the tops of their helmets exposed to the elements. Men in bright orange shirts hold covers over the tires of each car to keep them warm. Suddenly, the exhaust suction pipe is removed from Piastri’s F1 car, and the vehicle lowers to the ground. Within a second, he peels out of the garage and around the corner into the straight. He is off and racing.
“It’s not easy to always be consistent,” Piastri tells me later. “I just try to make sure I stay calm, keep my personality as it always has been, and drive fast.”
