The Piastri effect: A new era for Australian motorsport?
Melbourne native Piastri helped McLaren win last year's constructors' championship with teammate Lando Norris and is now favourite to win a maiden drivers' title after back-to-back wins in the Middle East.
Piastri's blistering start has thrilled his home nation but some of the biggest cheers may be heard at the offices of governing body Motorsport Australia (MA).
'It's transformational. If Oscar, through his work and capability and talent, wins the Formula One world championship this year, it will be hugely significant for motorsport in Australia,' MA CEO Sunil Vohra told Reuters on Thursday.
'Because the kids are interested in motorsport, because they know about it, they see what Oscar is doing, they read the headlines ... having Oscar on the grid in Formula One is enormously beneficial to that.'
MA, which runs events and develops driver pathways from grassroots to elite levels, recorded a slender surplus of A$16,712 (R199,404) for the 2024 calendar year in its financial report released on Thursday, a big turnaround from the previous year's net deficit of A$1,060,928 (R12.65m).
While the improved result is less about Piastri and more about a mix of cost-cutting and better financial management, Vohra says MA is positioned for growth as the 24-year-old's rising profile drives engagement and participation rates.
'There is a direct correlation to the success of Australians on the international stage with awareness and interest uplift in the broader motorsport community,' Vohra said.
'We see it play out through our development programmes like our 'Come and Try' programmes which are often oversubscribed through our clubs, and that's across all disciplines.
"(Oscar) is a product of motorsport in Australia, and he shows what is possible from the Australian system, from karting to four-wheel, all the way through to the global stage.
'He's an extraordinary asset in that regard. And yes, we are already priming ourselves for how we can help that increased interest be translated into engaging and participating.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
7 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Water calls Ledecky to 1,500 gold, backstroke queen McKeown reigns supreme
Katie Ledecky claimed a sixth 1,500m freestyle title and a record-extending 22nd world championships gold medal in Singapore on Tuesday as Romanian rocket David Popovici added the men's 200 crown to his Paris Olympic triumph. There was also gold for Australia's backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown, who foiled American rival Regan Smith once again to claim the 100 title in a thriller, while South Africa's Pieter Coetze clinched the men's race. Unbeaten in the 1,500 since the age of 13, world record holder Ledecky came home ahead of Italian Simona Quadarella with Australian Lani Pallister winning bronze at the World Aquatics Championships Arena. The American great was under world record pace (15:20.48) for all but a few laps before fading in the last lengths to finish at 15:26.44, more than five seconds ahead of Quadarella. Wrapped in an American flag, Ledecky beamed as she exited the pool, having clinched a 28th world championships medal, moving past Ryan Lochte in the all-time list. Only Michael Phelps, with 33, has more. 🇺🇸 Queen of Distance! 👑 Katie Ledecky claims her 6th World Championship title in the 1500m Freestyle 🥇🔥 #AQUASingapore25 — World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 29, 2025 At 28 and with the Los Angeles Games on the horizon, Ledecky said she had no desire to take a breather. 'I really hate taking breaks so I start dreading the impending break that's coming after this meet,' she said. 'The water always calls me back, the teammates always call me back, and I'm just going to keep enjoying it.' Ledecky's 22nd world title is the most by any female swimmer and second only to Phelps's overall record of 26. Quadarella, who won the 1,500 at the world championships in Doha last year in Ledecky's absence, punched the water in delight after shaving nearly 10 seconds off her personal best and setting the European record. Europeans have become a force in men's swimming, with Popovici among those leading the way. The 20-year-old was the strong favourite to win the 200 and duly delivered with a brilliant finish. 🇦🇺 Kaylee McKeown 0.03 off the world record in the women's 100m backstroke. Setting a new World Championships and Oceania Record 😱 #AQUASingapore25 #Swimming — World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) July 29, 2025 Half a body length behind Luke Hobson at the turn of the last lap, Popovici roared to the wall in 1:43.53, 0.31 ahead of the American, with Japan's Tatsuya Murasa taking bronze. 'I think [this feels] even better than the Olympics, to be honest,' said Popovici. 'You know why? I trained a lot for the Olympics but this year [is] a more relaxed year, more easy-going after the Olympics. I'm very proud of myself.' McKeown had not even wanted to race in the 100 backstroke in Singapore initially but took her place in lane five to leave world record holder Smith heartbroken again. The Australian produced a sizzling burst of pace in the last 25m to overtake Smith and touch in a personal best of 57.16, only 0.03 off the American's world record. The ultimate big-stage performer, McKeown came from behind to deny Smith twice for the 100 and 200 golds at the Paris Olympics. 'It's just really emotional because of the low I came back off from the Olympics,' said the 24-year-old Queenslander. 'To come out there tonight and just forget about all the pressure, forget about all the nerves and just swim really goes to show what I can do when I am relaxed.' The men's 100 backstroke final was also a belter, as Coetze set an African record of 51.85 to deny Italian Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon by 0.05 seconds. France's bronze winner, Yohan Ndoye-Brouard, was only 0.02 further adrift in a furious finish. Wrapping up the medal events, Germany's Anna Elendt upstaged major contenders with a stunning swim from lane one to claim the women's 100 breaststroke gold in 1:05.19, 0.08 seconds ahead of American Kate Douglass, with China's Tang Qianting taking bronze. Day four on Wednesday will feature another bumper programme of five medal events, with Australian Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan bidding for a second 200 freestyle title. New Zealand's Erika Fairweather joined O'Callaghan in the final, bouncing back from her shock disqualification in the 400 heats. The men's 800 freestyle final also promises to be a highlight as Ireland's Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen battles a stacked field including Australian Sam Short and Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi.
TimesLIVE
8 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Revolut named official title partner of Audi F1 team
British financial technology giant Revolut will become title partner of the Audi Formula One team from next season in a "monumental" multi-year deal, the two parties announced on Wednesday. The fast-growing London-based fintech company was valued at $45bn (R804,836,250,000) last year through a secondary share sale to new and existing investors. Swiss-based Sauber are becoming the factory Audi team in 2026, when Formula One starts a new engine era with major rule changes and an 11th team on the grid with the arrival of Cadillac. Jonathan Wheatley, principal of the Audi team, said the deal had been put together in less than four months and had obvious benefits for the two sides. "If you imagine we need to engage with our fans, we need a partner that's going to help us do that," Wheatley told Reuters in a video call. "We need to expand hugely into the incredible global space Formula One is in at the moment, and we need to become the most attractive team in Formula One." Wheatley said the deal reflected Audi's brand strength and was a "good news story for Formula One". "It's the Audi magnet that's drawing a lot of people here right now," he said, speaking from the team headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland. Revolut has more than 55-million customers but no physical branches. It gained a banking licence in Britain in 2024, after a three-year wait, and has global expansion plans. Antoine Le Nel, Revolut's chief marketing officer, gave no financial details of the F1 partnership but said the company was in for the long run with Audi and aiming for 100-million customers by 2027. He said Revolut had been looking for a platform to help the company build on its expansion. "I think we have a true opportunity to bring F1 to a huge audience," he told Reuters. "From a retail perspective and a business perspective I think there's going to be a lot of opportunities for us to connect the fan base to the sport through the Revolut platform." Le Nel said Audi taking on established teams in Formula One was like Revolut competing against traditional banks. "If you look at Audi, a very premium German brand dominating its market, it's where we want to be," he said. "It's a way for Revolut to elevate and get to where Audi has been for a long time." Audi said Revolut Business would be extensively integrated into the team's financial operations. Sauber are sixth in the 10 team championship ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix and have scored in their past five races. German driver Nico Hulkenberg celebrated his first F1 podium at Silverstone this month, finishing third in the British Grand Prix in a major boost for the team.
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Is McLaren too far gone in the title race?
McLaren dominant McLAREN's dominance this season is undeniable with as seen Lando Norris on the podium next to teammate Oscar Piastri, a technician, and third placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. | AFP OVER the past two decades, there's never really been any real rivalry at the top of Formula 1. It's mainly been one team dominating and the rest of the top four trying to catch up as closely as possible. Since the second half of last season, and all of this season, McLaren have been the team everyone is trying to catch up with. But mid-way through the season it looks as though it's already over for everyone else. Be it the Constructors or the Drivers World Title, the chances of any other team but papaya lifting the silverware at the end of the season are slim to none. The double podium in Belgium put them over 250 points clear in the Constructors race. Oscar Piastri is around 80 points clear of Max Verstappen in third place with the battle for World Champion seemingly fixed between the young Aussie and his teammate Lando Norris. Long term pace setting McLaren apart What has been evident this season is McLaren's pace, not just over the short term but the long term main race as well. Verstappen has only managed to post quick times during the shorter format qualifying and sprint rounds but the RB21 cannot seem to go the distance on all flat out tracks and wet conditions. Once in the lead on a Sunday, both of the McLarens' have been extremely difficult to catch for the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes. Balance and downforce has been the bane of existence for many teams in the paddock this season, not just the bottom three of the top -four. The Ferrari's have shown greater potential of putting up a fight against Zak Brown's team compared to Red Bull, but even the great Lewis Hamilton cannot seem to catch the orange zap. Hamilton gave an exhilarating performance in a soaking wet Spa on Sunday, fighting up nine places from P16 to P7. Charles Leclerc finished P3, his second podium of the year, but was 20 seconds behind Piastri and around 17 seconds behind Norris - painting a clear picture of the McLaren pace in hell or high water. McLaren's keen tyre management One stand out feature so far this season has been McLaren's ability to efficiently manage its tyres when compared to the other top four teams. Tyre management has been an area of excellence for McLaren, especially in hot conditions - where the rubber is eaten much faster. Speculation in the paddock and world of F1 has suggested that McLaren tyre secret could revolve around phase change materials. Aero Design Engineer Martin Bhunchan, a former F1 engineer who wrote his thesis at McLaren 8 years ago, suspects McLaren could be using the technology to get better tyre management. But this process only helps cool the tyres by the use of air alone and cannot be entirely responsible for their stellar rubber management. The answer may also lie in the materials themselves, the reaction to heat and how high a melting point they have compared to the ones other teams are using.
