In the season just gone, the Australian learned the hard way what it truly means to fight for a Formula 1 world championship, facing a level of pressure that is vastly different from the junior categories — and one that, as the evidence shows, he was ultimately unable to manage all the way to the finish.

The Melbourne native led the championship for as many as 15 races, only to suffer a slump from Monza onwards that was, in many ways, difficult to explain. He only rediscovered his form in the closing rounds of the season — too late, however, to overturn a title battle that eventually slipped away to his team-mate, and even left him behind Max Verstappen in the final standings.

However, the Australian earned his shot at the title on merit, thanks in no small part to a staggering step forward compared to last year, when he was comprehensively beaten in the head-to-head battle with Norris.

Back in 2023 — his debut season with McLaren — Piastri finished only ninth overall, claiming two podiums compared to his team-mate’s seven, with Norris ending the year in sixth. The points tally told an even starker story: 97 for Piastri versus 205 for Norris, less than half.

Last season, that gap narrowed somewhat, with 292 points to Norris’s 374. Even so, Norris still held a clear edge in the headline numbers, securing four wins, eight pole positions and 13 podiums, compared to Piastri’s two victories, zero poles and eight podiums.

This year, the numbers were virtually identical, with the pair matched on wins, while Piastri finished with just one fewer pole position and two fewer podiums — margins that ultimately proved decisive in the title fight.

What the #81 lacked was the ability to deliver when it mattered most, something Norris capitalised on superbly by building a commanding buffer that he carried all the way to Abu Dhabi.

If Piastri can unlock greater consistency, there is little doubt he could soon draw level with his team-mate in the record books — provided, of course, he continues to have a race-winning car beneath him.

Jacques Villeneuve has urged Oscar Piastri to tread carefully before even contemplating a potential exit from McLaren in the wake of rumours that surfaced in recent months, warning that: “Some years, every team wants you at any cost, and two years later, they’ve moved on to something and someone else.”

Those rumours suggested McLaren were allegedly favouring Lando Norris, claims that both Andrea Stella and Zak Brown have consistently dismissed, insisting that both drivers receive equal treatment.