McLaren finally clinched their first constructors’ championship since 2008, but the story of their 2024 season wasn’t just about the trophy – it was about an incredible turnaround and a young driver coming into his own.
Oscar Piastri, the team’s rising star, played a huge part in that success.
“We learned a lot of lessons as a team,” Piastri told reporters, reflecting on a season that started rough but ended in glory.
The Australian’s honesty about the team’s early struggles is refreshing. “We wish we had had our version of the car, as it was in Miami, at the beginning of the year. That would have made life a bit easier.”
But it’s what happened next that really shows what McLaren is made of.
When the season kicked off, most people had written off anyone catching Red Bull. The defending champions looked untouchable. But McLaren had other ideas.
The team’s transformation from struggling backmarkers to championship winners might go down as one of F1’s greatest in-season turnarounds.
Things weren’t always smooth sailing between teammates, though. The “papaya rules” – McLaren’s internal policy allowing Piastri and teammate Lando Norris to race each other – led to some tense moments as both drivers fought for wins.
Piastri’s not afraid to admit where he could’ve done better. “There were some big things I wanted to improve on from last year, and I feel I made a lot of progress,” he said. “But there are also things I’ve been less happy with this year. I definitely made it a bit harder on myself during qualifying than I would have liked.”
Fourth place in the drivers’ championship might not sound amazing, but for a driver in just his second F1 season, it’s pretty impressive.
More importantly, he helped bring McLaren something they’ve been chasing for 16 years – a championship trophy. Not bad for a 23-year-old who was racing in Formula 2 just two years ago.
