Oscar Piastri faces direct repeat of what Christian Horner told Mark Webber after losing 2010 title

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Oscar Piastri can achieve what his manager Mark Webber failed to in 2010 by winning the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship during the final round at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The McLaren ace has the chance to become the first Australian to win the F1 drivers’ title in 45 years this Sunday. Webber fell short in his quest to end his nation’s wait whilst driving for Red Bull in 2010, as his then-teammate Sebastian Vettel won the first of his four world titles.

It also took until Piastri earlier in the 2025 season for an Australian to sit atop the F1 drivers’ standings for the first time since Webber topped the table after 16 of the 19 rounds in 2010. Piastri even led the way from round five to 19/24 in 2025, but he goes to Abu Dhabi in third.

For the first time since round three, Piastri will go into the Abu Dhabi GP trailing his McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 16 points and Max Verstappen of Red Bull by four. He needs a lot to go in his way on Sunday to join Jack Brabham and Alan Jones as Australian F1 champions.

Andrea Stella could tell Oscar Piastri the same ‘very proud’ message that Christian Horner gave Mark Webber in 2010

Team principal Andrea Stella insists that McLaren will not impose team orders on Piastri and Norris in Abu Dhabi, as they continue to treat the two drivers failrly in their pursuits of their first title. This year can also yield McLaren’s first drivers’ title since Lewis Hamilton’s in 2008.

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Oscar Piastri could become the first F1 driver to finish third in a championship with five or more wins

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But despite Piastri’s dominant position for much of the year, the Melbourne native may face the title going to Norris or Verstappen. And, should that be the case, then Piastri might hear Stella echoing the precise words that Christian Horner offered Webber in Abu Dhabi in 2010.

Then-Red Bull team principal Horner said on the BBC’s post-race Forum show after the 2010 Abu Dhabi GP: “I’ve just been up to see Mark, and I said to him, look, he’s obviously a bit on the floor. This championship, he’s given it everything.

“I said to him, ‘You can be very, very proud of what you’ve achieved this year’. He’s been an awesome competitor. He’s taken this championship to the last round. Indeed, he could have won it, and we’ve done our best to give him all the support that we can.

“He’s a big team player, and he’s a large part of this championship success, as well. So, let’s take nothing away from Mark. He’s been an awesome competitor this year.”

Oscar Piastri cannot win the 2025 F1 title if Lando Norris is in the top five in Abu Dhabi

Like Piastri does in 2025, Webber needed at least one other result to go his way to claim the 2010 title even if he had won the Abu Dhabi GP that year. Webber would have still required Ferrari rival Fernando Alonso to finish third at Yas Marina to win the title, which Vettel stole.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Abu Dhabi Grand Prix moments, including Max Verstappen’s controversial title win over Lewis Hamilton

Vettel took the 2010 championship at the final round, despite never leading the standings at any other stage of the season. Verstappen could replicate the German this year, having also never topped the standings at any point of the term ahead of the final round this weekend.

Like Webber, Piastri has also played the team game or been indirectly disadvantaged from the way that McLaren have treated Norris at times this season. Now, the Melbourne native heads to Abu Dhabi knowing that Norris cannot finish inside the top five to stand a chance.

Norris beat Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix in round 14 this August after McLaren let the Briton adopt a one-stop strategy in his fight with Mercedes’ George Russell for P3 at the time. Piastri used a two-stop strategy at the Hungaroring, but lost at the line by only 0.698s.

The most stand-out example of Piastri agreeing to abide by McLaren’s team orders in favour of equal treatment came at Monza in September. McLaren told Piastri to give Norris back P2 in the Italian Grand Prix, having told the Briton that he would not be undercut which he was.