Oscar Piastri’s 2024 F1 season showcased promise with victories and podiums, though challenges remain against teammate Norris and rival teams.
Oscar Piastri had a positive 2024 season, securing fourth place in the championship, his first victories, and a third of the season’s podium finishes. However, the McLaren F1 driver faced challenges, particularly against a surging Lando Norris within the Woking-based team.
Despite the MCL38 not performing at its peak early in the season, the Australian managed to stabilize things with two fourth-place finishes in the first three races.
After two eighth-place results, he served as the hare for McLaren against Max Verstappen in Miami, but strategic misfortune left him 13th, while his teammate clinched the victory and his first career win.
Piastri claimed his first podium of the season in Monaco, finishing behind Charles Leclerc, whom he never truly pressured, despite demonstrating remarkable consistency on the narrow streets of the Principality.
Second in Austria following a collision between Norris and Verstappen, he secured his maiden victory in Hungary after a political battle with Norris, who had taken the race lead following a McLaren error but resisted relinquishing it to the Australian.
Buoyed by this career-first win, Piastri achieved four podiums in the next five races, including a victory in Baku, where he capitalized on Norris’s Q1 elimination and a lapse from Leclerc to seize his opportunity with a commanding performance.
In São Paulo, he led nearly the entire Sprint but ultimately conceded a point and the victory to Norris in the 100-kilometer event. Norris returned the favor in Qatar, allowing Piastri to pass for the win late in the race.
Overall, however, starting with Singapore, the race immediately following Baku, Piastri faced a challenging end to the season. Two specific reasons can help explain this downturn.
The first reason is Norris’s clear dominance, who, after his underperformance in Baku, appeared to reach a new level and eliminated mistakes. The second is the resurgence of Ferrari, Verstappen, and occasionally Mercedes, which pushed McLaren back into the middle of the leading pack.
With only one podium in the last six races, Piastri experienced a disappointing end to the year, and the Australian driver was overshadowed by his teammate throughout the season. Worse still, while last year he seemed to struggle only with tire management, this season he appeared to hit a ceiling in terms of performance.
On the positive side, beyond his two victories and eight podiums, Piastri achieved an exceptional feat that only three other drivers have managed: he completed 100% of the season’s laps.
This places him in an exclusive club alongside Michael Schumacher (2002), Lewis Hamilton (2019), and Max Verstappen (2023). Undoubtedly, such consistency could prove invaluable next year if McLaren contends for the title and he finds himself in the thick of the fight.
Statistics
| Category | Oscar Piastri |
|---|---|
| Championship Position | 4th (292 points) |
| Victories | 2 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Podiums | 8 |
| Fastest Laps | 1 |
| Hat Tricks | 0 |
| Grand Slams | 0 |
| Laps Led | 123 |
| Laps Completed | 1,444 (100.00%) |
| Average Qualifying Position | 5.42 |
| Average Race Position | 5.13 |
Head-to-Head with Lando Norris
| Comparison | Oscar Piastri | Lando Norris |
|---|---|---|
| Races Won (Head-to-Head) | 8 | 16 |
| Qualifying Sessions Won | 4 | 20 |
- Discover More>Verstappen Shines Amid 2024 Turmoil: Alesi, Ralf Applaud Bold Mastery!
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates
Season Review F1 2024 – Oscar Piastri Season Review F1 2024 – Oscar Piastri
