Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
No rebellious streak: Why Piastri will play team game with McLaren
Scott Bailey, AAP • March 5th, 2026 7:07 pm
Oscar Piastri plans to follow team orders despite McLaren's controversial call in 2025 | Photo: James Ross/AAP
Oscar Piastri insists he's ready to play the team game for McLaren, adamant world championships are not won by defying team orders.
McLaren's handling of Piastri and Lando Norris dominated Formula One last season, as Norris came from behind to take the championship from his teammate.
The English team are one of the few major players on the grid who do not have a No.1 driver and attempt to have complete fairness between the two.
But their pursuit of "Papaya Rules" reached its controversial zenith at Monza last year when Piastri was ordered to let his teammate pass following a slow pit stop for Norris.
Lando Norris with McLaren chief Zak Brown and Oscar Piastri last year | Photo: AP
McLaren have arrived in Melbourne in a different position to last year with Piastri tipping Ferrari and Mercedes to be the fastest cars under the new regulations.
Reminded on Thursday he'd lost the championship by 13 points after contentious McLaren tactical decisions, Piastri quipped there was "a lot to digest" in the question.
"I have nothing to prove, I am certainly not going to have a rebellious streak or anything like that," the Australian said.
"A pretty quickfire way to make sure you're not going to win a championship is go against your own team. I don't think that's a very wise move.
"But definitely we have had discussions and worked on things we can do better this year."
Piastri said his relationship with McLaren had only got stronger out of the tough end to last season with discussions over how they handled several situations.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton | Photo: James Ross/AAP
No Australian has made the podium in the 30 years it has been at Albert Park, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing second in 2014 before being disqualified due to illegal fuel flow.
But Piastri maintained this weekend was no different to any other race for him, even if he'd repeatedly been asked what it would feel like to win his home race.
"If I had a dollar for every time I got asked that I would be a few dollars richer," he joked.
"It would be really special. Every driver wants to win their home race. That's no different for me.
"Obviously there is a lot of extra support. But in terms of trying to do my job and get the best out of that, that's the same as anywhere in the world."
