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As Formula One heads to Montreal this weekend, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is poised to enter elite company and potentially surpass it. With five wins already under his belt this season, the 24-year-old Australian is on the verge of becoming the first driver from his country to win six or more races in a single F1 season.
Chasing Legends: Brabham and Jones
Only two Australians in Formula One history, Sir Jack Brabham and Alan Jones have managed to win five races in a calendar year. Both are former world champions, though their achievements came in eras with far fewer races. In contrast, the current season features a record 24 Grand Prix events, giving Piastri a larger canvas to make history.
I’d be happier with the stat of joining them as world champion, Piastri said, reflecting on matching the single-season win record of his countrymen. To have five wins in nine races is beyond what I expected, even with a very competitive car.
The McLaren driver currently leads teammate Lando Norris by 10 points in the championship standings and has reached the podium in the last eight races. His form has been nothing short of exceptional, and another victory at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve would elevate him to unprecedented heights in Australian motorsport.
More than just stats
Despite the attention on records, Piastri remains focused on a bigger goal.
While those stats are cool, that’s ultimately not why I’m here, he explained. I’m here to try and win even more races and fight for a championship. So I think there are some cooler statistics to come, hopefully.
Piastri expects the Canadian Grand Prix to reflect the season’s dominant trends, with McLaren and Red Bull leading the pack.
Max will probably be competitive again. This was a very competitive race for Mercedes last year, and I expect them to be quick again here, he noted.
Learning from the past
Piastri and Norris qualified third and fourth respectively in Canada last year, though the race concluded with Piastri in fifth and Norris as runner-up behind Max Verstappen.
Somewhat ironically, the races that were pretty bad for me last year have been the best so far this year, Piastri observed. So we’ll see how we go, but I’m expecting it to be a good weekend.
The Canadian Grand Prix will start from June 13th and the main race will be held on Sunday, June 15th.
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