BARRETTO: The pressure was on Piastri after the Alpine/McLaren tug of war – so how’s his rookie season going?

F1 Correspondent & PresenterLawrence Barretto

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - FEBRUARY 23: Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren prepares to drive in the

Oscar Piastri entered his rookie campaign with great expectations on his youthful 22-year-old shoulders.

McLaren had thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at securing his signature, tempting him away from Alpine after a legal battle that went all the way to F1’s Contract Recognition Board. To have two teams turning to lawyers to sign you, despite you never having turned a wheel in anger in Formula 1, is quite something.

Unlock exclusive F1 content and more with F1 Unlocked. Totally free.

Membership gets you closer with:

Curated insider content
Live like an F1 insider with exclusive access and VIP experiences
Member benefits, rewards and offers

Next Up

End Of Year Reports 2025Alpine’s best and worst moments from 2025
ExclusiveWhy Sainz feels ‘vindicated’ after his first Williams year
ExclusiveHow Norris made his school teachers ‘enormously proud’
ExclusiveHow Bearman went from super-sub to star rookie in 2025
Hinchcliffe'History shows Piastri will be even better in 2026'
Quiz10 quiz questions on British F1 World Champions

BARRETTO: The pressure was on Piastri after the Alpine/McLaren tug of war – so how’s his rookie season going?

Related Articles