Can Oscar Piastri transcend the rear-gunner role and upend McLaren’s hierarchy? Premium

2024 F1 season finale in Las Vegas sees Verstappen poised for title, Piastri impressing at McLaren.

When the Formula One bandwagon regroups in the land of glitz, glamour, and gambling in Las Vegas, ahead of the final set of triple-headers (Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi) to close out the 2024 season, both the titles are mathematically still up for grabs.

Max Verstappen leads Lando Norris by 62 points, with 86 points still in play. McLaren leads Ferrari by 36 points, with Red Bull a further 13 adrift. Verstappen, barring catastrophic non-finishes in at least two events, will likely enter the new year as a quadruple world champion.

The Dutchman’s stunning drive in damp conditions in Brazil, where he took his eighth win, pretty much snuffed out any outside chance Norris might have had of fighting for the drivers’ title.

While Verstappen and Norris have been the protagonists this season, there have been many impressive performers. One driver who has made a meaningful impact on the championship is the guy piloting the second McLaren — Oscar Piastri.

In his sophomore campaign, the Australian is already a two-time race winner and has played a vital role in getting McLaren within striking distance of its first constructors’ title since 1998.

Often, teams have an informal No. 1 driver whom they back to lead the charge, like Verstappen for Red Bull or Charles Leclerc for Ferrari. Although Norris is the entrenched McLaren team leader, Piastri’s performances have been a little too impressive for him to be boxed into an understudy role. The team can credibly claim to have the grid’s best driver line-up. Come 2025, Piastri, with two years of experience, including wins and podiums, could well shake up the hierarchy at McLaren.

The 23-year-old’s entry into the sport was shrouded in controversy when Alpine, where he was the reserve driver, unilaterally announced signing him for 2023 without agreeing a contract to replace the outgoing Fernando Alonso. In a stunning development, Piastri clarified a few hours later that he wouldn’t drive for the team. Later, it emerged that he would take his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren.