Oscar Piastri will enter this week's Australian Grand Prix with the weight of expectation heavier than ever.
The Melbourne-born McLaren driver has a genuine chance of winning his home grand prix, a feat not achieved by an Australian since the race was added to the Formula 1 world championship.
McLaren stormed home in 2024 to claim its first F1 constructors' championship since 1998, with Piastri winning in Hungary and Azerbaijan.
But teammate Lando Norris was arguably the driver of 2024, winning four races and taking the fight to eventual champion Max Verstappen, who after 10 rounds had wrapped up the title in the eyes of most.
But the rise of McLaren and the coming of age for both Piastri — who has now signed a new multi-year contract with the McLaren — and Norris means the team will not want to settle for anything less than championships in 2025.
For Piastri to become Australia's first world champion since Alan Jones in 1980, the McLaren driver says he needs to hitting the ground running to start the season.
"Definitely, I'm going in with the hope and ambition to fight for the drivers' title and to help the team retain the constructors' title," Piastri said in an interview with McLaren ahead of the season-opener in Melbourne.
"With the season we've just had, it would be silly to aim for anything less — certainly to prepare for anything less — but we'll see how we come out of the gates and reassess from there."
Piastri was asked to play second fiddle to Norris at stages during the 2024 campaign, as the Brit had a realistic chance of hunting Verstappen in the drivers' championship.
The Australian will need to be on his game to avoid McLaren thinking about issuing team orders again, against him.
For Piastri, consistency will be the key to success. With two full seasons under his belt, the Australian said he has been able to learn and improve as an F1 driver.
"Last year, for the most part, was a good step up from my rookie season, but I still need to improve," he said.
"I think my good weekends were very strong, but it is about getting to a place where all of my weekends look like that.
"That's the big key. There are some specific areas I want to focus on to go faster, but it's mostly about trying to be at the top of my game, consistently."
But the challenge will not just be with teammate Norris.
Verstappen is attempting to win five consecutive world championships. Ferrari has recruited seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, and Mercedes will be hopeful of returning to the glory of the recent past.
McLaren looked very strong during pre-season testing in Bahrain, while Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all had positive outings.
"I think there will be quite a big fight between the top four teams," Piastri said.
"With the rules staying the same, it gets harder to put performance on the car, so I think spectators are in for an exciting year — for the teams, we're probably in for a nervous year."
