McLaren’s Formula 1 team managed to sign Australian Driver [autotag]Oscar Piastri[/autotag] away from Alpine’s academy through a lengthy and widely publicized process, and now that the team has him, they’re making sure he isn’t going anywhere.
McLaren announced Wednesday that Piastri is extending his contact with the team, adding on three more years until 2026. The contract has him in papaya for one year longer than his teammate Lando Norris, who signed a three-year deal in 2022 to lock him down until 2025.
While McLaren’s car was a backmarker at the beginning of the season, upgrades have seen it become one of the faster challengers on the grid in the back half of the year — and Piastri is a big reason why. He’s had a slew of impressive results since the car upgrades, placing fourth at the British Grand Prix and standing on the podium at the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race by landing in second. Piastri also had a fantastic drive in the most recent race on the calendar, qualifying 17th and working his way all the way up to seventh to score points at the Singapore Grand Prix.
BREAKING: Oscar Piastri extends his contract with McLaren Racing until 2026!#F1 @McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/DpqhNVpp4a
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 20, 2023
Here is what Piastri himself had to say about his extension in the team’s official social media announcement:
“The team [has] been amazing — you guys have been amazing at welcoming me into the papaya family, so I can’t wait to do it for another three years. We’ve really managed to turn this season around with the changes we’ve made to the car and the team [has] also been fundamental in helping me develop as a driver and a person.”
The contract renewal comes amid frequent links between Lando Norris and Red Bull, and while many will continue to speculate about Norris’ fate, McLaren made sure Wednesday that Piastri remains locked up for the foreseeable future.
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