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McLaren driver Oscar Piastri will look back at his third season as a Formula 1 driver with pride, but also as a potential missed opportunity after coming within 13 points of winning the world championship.
Oscar Piastri knew he needed a top-two finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and a very unlikely set of results to become world champion.
After qualifying third, Piastri started on the hard compound tyres, and while he finished second, Max Verstappen was unbeatable at the front of the race, earning Lando Norris the title with his P3 result.
Oscar Piastri misses out on the 2025 F1 championship by 13 points…
Do you think he will EVER win a Formula 1 title in his career? Let us know in the comments
Piastri had a 34-point advantage in the standings after winning the Dutch Grand Prix, which turned out to be his final Grand Prix victory of the year.
Norris was quick to pay tribute to Piastri after the race, and even compared him to his former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.
Martin Brundle admitted he got one thing wrong about Piastri before the race, but made an interesting prediction after the chequered flag.
It turns out, Damon Hill and Martin Brundle are on the same wavelength when it comes to the young Australian driver.
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Damon Hill agrees with Martin Brundle that Oscar Piastri is a future world champion
Hill was asked on the Chequered Flag Podcast whether this will give Norris even more confidence going into next season and said: “It’s going to help a lot.
“I mean, that is the point is that he’ll walk into the factory, he’ll go back to McLaren, and honestly, it’s going to be amazing for them, isn’t it?
“They’ve won the constructors. They’ve got the drivers’ championship, and it’s been a great season for them.
“They’ve got two drivers there who could deliver for them. No doubt that Oscar’s got what it takes to be a world champion.
How the Drivers’ Championship would’ve looked without THAT swap in Monza…🤯
Should Max Verstappen feel aggrieved that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri swapping places in Monza may have been the difference in the Drivers' Championship?
“They do need to know what’s going to happen next year with the car. We don’t know, but so far, that team is lifted up, and he will be riding high for a good few weeks from now.
“But then, as you said earlier, it’s very quickly back into thinking about next year and their competitors. They do this because they want to race, they don’t want to rest on their laurels.”
Brundle said he was ‘absolutely certain’ Piastri is a future world champion, and the 24-year-old can take some solace that two of the biggest names in the sport are confident in his abilities, even if he missed out this year.
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Oscar Piastri’s 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix promise doesn’t come true
Both McLaren drivers ended last season in a confident mood, believing that they could win the title in 2025.
Nico Rosberg was worried about Norris’ confidence last year, but the 26-year-old eventually proved him right that he could win the title.
On the other hand, Piastri privately suggested he would be F1 champion this season as he watched the podium ceremony in Abu Dhabi last year.
That level of confidence is vital for any driver, and for more than half of the campaign, the championship was in his hands.
A lack of experience, alongside his difficulties on low-grip circuits, ultimately cost Piastri.
However, nobody would bet against Piastri next season if McLaren once again have the quickest car on the grid.
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