Oscar Piastri has delivered a dominant win from pole at the Bahrain Grand Prix – his second victory of the 2025 season, and McLaren’s first ever in Bahrain. The 23-year-old now sits just three points off the lead in the drivers’ championship, cementing his place as a serious title contender. In the lead up to the season opener, Piastri sat down with Forbes Australia during his homecoming at the Melbourne Grand Prix to talk pressure, performance, and the value of switching off.
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How do you handle the pressure of this sport?
I started in go-karts and then worked my way up. I think you kind of learn along the path what works for you and what doesn’t. For me, having a bit of a break every now and again is important to make sure I’m not overthinking things. I try to catch myself if I’m starting to get too heavily into the details because I think that’s helpful to a point, and then it’s just detrimental after that. So, taking a break and making sure that I’m still enjoying what I’m doing.
What does taking a break look like for you?
For me, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a break from racing because I love racing and driving cars. I have a simulator at home, and I’m not driving an F1 car when I use the simulator. I’m driving a Formula 4, a GT car. So, for me, the simulator is a break from work.
Spending time with my family is tough because I’m on the other side of the world, but spending time with my girlfriend, with my friends, and just doing the little things. I do love to sleep, I like a nap every now and again. Going to the shops, whatever it might be – just all those little things.
Were you able to get to your mum’s house for a home-cooked meal before the race in Melbourne?
I have, yes. It was for lunch – she made a very good salad, and the rest was all from Baker’s Delight. It was nice and good to see her before racing. I went and saw my dad as well. It’s always nice to see my family when I can. I joke that I wanted to be in F1, so I got an extra week at home, so here I am. I’m having my week at home.
Can you talk about your transition from the junior series to Formula 1?
A big strength of mine in my junior career was my consistency. That has come through to F1 in some ways, but I think being calm and being able to handle the pressure really has been a strength of mine. It’s something I’ve tried to carry through. It’s not easy to be consistent. I try to make sure I’m staying calm – keeping my personality as it always has been – and just trying to drive fast.
Is there a mantra or something you tell yourself?
There’s not really a saying or a quote, so to speak. One of the better ones is, “Keep it simple, stupid.” For me, especially early in my career, overthinking was an easy thing to do. So, just drawing a line where you need to draw the line and then having a break is important.
Both you and (sponsor) Airwallex are Melbourne stories. How does that feel knowing you have Australians supporting you?
It’s very special. For me, having a home race in Australia is very special, but to have it in Melbourne is just another level on that. Having all the support is very, very cool. And it’s nice to be back for the season opener as well.
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