Daniel Ricciardo has joked that Oscar Piastri’s success is down to him, as the Australian duo swapped helmets in Singapore last season, and since then the McLaren driver has been in excellent form. The 2025 F1 season has seen improved performances from Piastri.
After spending the 2024 F1 season a step behind teammate Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri has stepped things up a notch this year. Out of the first five races, the Australian has won three and is leading the championship right now. What has been even more interesting has been the relentless level at which he’s performing right now and has been able to keep his teammate at bay.
With Daniel Ricciardo now out of the sport, Oscar Piastri and Jack Doohan are the only Australian representatives on the grid. Last season, when Ricciardo was leaving the sport in Singapore, he had exchanged helmets with Piastri as a sign of respect.
Ricciardo was questioned on Betoota Advocate about his views on Piastri’s improved run this season, to which the former Red Bull driver joked that he swapped his helmets with the young McLaren driver, and maybe that’s the magic that has helped. He said:
“We switched lids in Singapore. Since then, he’s been untouchable. There’s something in that helmet. I felt it, and now he’s got it. I’m not saying it’s magic. Well, actually I am. Oscar’s got it [helmet] and he’s finding time in sectors nobody else can. You tell me.”
Daniel Ricciardo’s fellow Australian on ‘being a bad guy’
Daniel Ricciardo is now more or less out of the sport unless something changes drastically. Oscar Piastri, on the other hand, is involved in a title battle this season and could potentially be the champion by the end of the year.
The driver was, however, questioned about the long-held belief that an F1 driver has to be a bad guy to win the title, to which he said (via GP Blog):
“I think everyone has their own personality, everyone has their own style. I think the most detrimental thing you can do is try and do it in a way that’s not your own style. For some people, that looks very different.”
He added:
“Obviously being fast is the most important one. But there are certain traits that you need. But I think, as Lando said, that doesn’t mean you need to be a bad person. You need to be tough on track. But there’s a lot of different ways you can go about it.”
With Daniel Ricciardo leaving the stage, Oscar Piastri has taken over the mantle of impressive Australian talents on the grid and will be trying to build on his strong potential during this title fight.
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Edited by Tushar Bahl
