Daniel Ricciardo F1 triumph diminished after China result... and more could follow

daniel ricciardo, vcrab, red bull, graphic — Photo: © IMAGO

Analysis

Ricciardo F1 triumph diminished after China result... and more could follow

Oscar Piastri's pole position in China has heralded a post-Ricciardo era for Australian F1 drivers

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 29 March 2025 21:54 Updated: 22:57

After Oscar Piastri’s commanding victory in China last weekend, Daniel Ricciardo is no longer the Australian driver whose name is on everyone's lips. But could the young McLaren star really bring the drivers' title back to Australia?

In Shanghai, Piastri overtook Daniel Ricciardo as the most recent Australian driver to achieve pole position, and on top of his victory, has proven that he could be team-mate Lando Norris' main title rival in 2025.

If the first two grands prix of the season are enough to go by it will be a challenge to unsettle McLaren at the top, but that does not mean F1 will lack a title fight this year.

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The way Piastri roared back in China after a disappointing outing in Melbourne, where he finished P9, shows that he has the mental resilience as well as the talent to back up a championship fight against fellow papaya star Norris.

Can Piastri challenge Norris for the F1 title?

Piastri emerged on the F1 grid in Ricciardo's shadow, with the former Red Bull star by far the most recognisable Australian representative on the grid.

By that point, the 35-year-old had eight career victories to his name and despite his recent struggles at McLaren, still had the belief that he could transform his career when he returned to the sport at the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, his compatriot Piastri had steadily gathered experience in junior categories such as Formula 2 and 3, where he claimed both titles consecutively, and joined McLaren as an unknown to a wider F1 audience.

McLaren's initial difficulties in 2023 masked Piastri's true potential, but he demonstrated why the team were so eager to sign him and ditch Ricciardo in 2022, when he won his first race during the sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Yet in 2024 Piastri was hardly mentioned compared to his team-mate Norris, who looked to challenge Max Verstappen for the title at one point.

It’s easy to forget that Piastri has only completed two seasons in the sport, one of which was his rookie season where McLaren were a pale imitation of their now constructors' winning selves.

Already Piastri has acquired three wins and 11 podiums, and his first pole position in China last time out is an indicator that he will only continue to add to his collection.

It is also noteworthy that despite Piastri's maturity, he is still relevantly young in F1 and is nowhere near the peak of his career, unlike Norris who at 25 will arguably reach the zenith of his abilities in the next couple of years.

Max Verstappen was 24 when he won his first title in 2021, and still made several mistakes against Lewis Hamilton that year, so at the age of 23 to display the level-headedness needed to secure consistent race wins, Piastri's success seems to be only just beginning.

Ricciardo may still be a popular personality, but long gone are any hopes he can achieve F1 success for Australia. Oscar Piastri looks set to be their home hero now.