The Australian Curse in Formula 1: Is the Papaya King Losing His Crown?
- Rohan Singh
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
ROHAN SINGH - STAFF WRITER
Back on August 31st at Zandvoort, Oscar Piastri took a commanding sixth victory of the 2025 Formula One season. With a massive lead over Lando Norris, who was rather unconfident in his car, and the ailing Red Bull of Max Verstappen keeping him away from the front of the grid, it seemed that Oscar Piastri would smoothly sail to the World Driver’s Championship title. But you know what they say, nothing is ever guaranteed in the pinnacle of motorsport. Ask Felipe Massa, who’s still fighting the authorities for a championship that he technically won.
It happened in a flash. Suddenly, the driver who used to lead every race with more than 10 seconds of gap between him and second place was unable to claim front row starts in the qualifying grid. Slowly and steadily, Lando Norris chipped away at his lead. Now? Lando sits atop of the standings with a miraculous recovery, leading his teammate with 24 points.
Last weekend was no better for the rising star of McLaren, who had been controlling this championship since Day 1. On one hand, Lando Norris had a picture-perfect weekend - poles in Sprint and Race Qualifying and wins in both. On the other hand, the Aussie wonder was nowhere to be found with a meager result of P5 after a 10-second penalty.
The Rise and Fall of Australian Drivers in Formula 1
If I told you in July that Oscar Piastri would be on the brink of losing the driver’s championship with three races left in the season, you would’ve said I was crazy. The same way you would’ve said I was crazy if I told you that Daniel Ricciardo would only claim 8 wins in Formula 1 before he got booted out unceremoniously from Red Bull Racing/Racing Bulls.
And in a very similar fashion, if I told you that the Australian who beat David Coulthard fair and square at Red Bull would lose his first championship to young hot-shot Sebastian Vettel, you would’ve probably thrown me out of the window.
Such is the dire situation of Aussie drivers in Formula 1. No matter how much they rise, it’s as if the rock bottom is waiting to capture them in its wake. Mark Webber was never the same after the 2010 season. Daniel Ricciardo was never the same after leaving Red Bull Racing. Will Oscar Piastri suffer the same fate?
Oscar Piastri: The 2025 Season of What Could Have Been
A part of me wants to believe that it’s a coincidence. A part of me wants to believe that he is probably facing the same obstacles that every great driver has to endure and overcome. After all, Lando has been with McLaren since 2019 and needed six seasons to score his maiden win. After all, Michael Schumacher took years to claim his third championship when he joined Ferrari. And after all, Lewis Hamilton had to wait almost half a decade before he began his unparalleled reign of terror on the rest of the grid.
However, it is still difficult to believe that Oscar Piastri is facing such a dilemma. You can say he is being sabotaged. You can say that he lost his edge. You can also say that he is basically the same, but his opponent got better. You can also say that he is frustrated. But you can’t deny what Max Verstappen said about him in the early quarter of the Formula 1 2025 season.
“I think I’ve said it before. People forget a little bit – last year was his second year. Now he’s in his third year, and he’s very solid. He’s very calm in his approach, and I like that.
“It shows on track. He delivers when he has to, barely makes mistakes – and that’s what you need when you want to fight for a championship.”
The driver who turned up last weekend and drove his McLaren into Kimi Antonelli was not this Piastri.
This leaves us with a final question: Is this it for Oscar Piastri, his fans, and the massive Australian crowd waiting for their future champion and, finally, for the fallen general and his mentor, Mark Webber?
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