Oscar Piastri has always been devastatingly fast, but the rising Formula 1 superstar’s acceleration into the top echelon of world sport has been almost off the charts this year.
The fiercely driven, hugely talented Melburnian has not only inspired the nation with his on-track deeds throughout the 2025 Formula 1 championship season, he has also helped to fuel what has been a modern motor sport renaissance in Australia.
That makes him a fitting winner of The Don, an award named after Sir Donald Bradman, to honour a current Australian athlete or team who, by their achievements and example in the last 12 months, have best caught the imagination of the Australian public.

Piastri’s success in 2025 has fostered a sense of national pride and excitement, with Australian sporting fans celebrating his Grand Prix victories – often with blurry eyes due to late nights and limited sleep – no matter what the time zone his races have been run in.

His relatively humble beginnings have played a part in his popularity, too, having graduated from karting to Formula 3 and Formula 2 success and a more recent transition to Formula 1.

At just 24, and in his third Formula 1 season, Piastri has already drawn comparisons with some of motor sport’s most revered figures – Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

After Piastri won the Dutch Formula 1 Grand Prix in late August – his seventh victory this year – McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella said the Australian reminded him of seven-time world championship winner Schumacher for his composure and his relentless drive.

Piastri modestly accepted the compliment, but got back to work, knowing for all that he has achieved at such a young age, he needs to keep raising the bar.

“When the pressure isn’t on, it’s easy to look great, but when the pressure is really on, and the consequences are bigger, that is when you see the cream rise to the top,” Piastri said. He added: “Just because I am calm doesn’t mean I am not ruthless.”

Piastri has made for compelling viewing in 2025, with an intoxicating mix of all the required ingredients for a successful Formula 1 driver – fearlessness, calmness, determination, relentless hard work and resilience against the odds.

After an unlucky start to this season, finishing ninth at Albert Park – not far from where he grew up and first fell in loves with cars – he won four of the next five Grand Prix races including a hat-trick of wins in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami.

His quest to become the third Australian to win a Formula 1 world championship has been at the heart of ambitions since he was a kid from relatively humble beginnings, with our 1980 world champion Alan Jones praising his qualities as he has continued to reel off the wins.

“He (Piastri) has all the qualities you need, in my opinion, to be super successful in Formula 1,” Jones said this year. “Every now and then, someone comes along who is successful no matter what they do. And he is one of those.”

His ability to keep in control of his emotions – even in high pressure moments when duelling with McLaren teammate Lando Norris on the track with the Formula 1 title on the line – has been something that those closest to him have long admired.

It’s an inner strength he has carried with him since he was a kid with big dreams and a sense of dare. His desire for continuous improvement is also an example to aspiring athletes as well as sports fans who have always admired fierce competitors with a sense of fair play.