Oscar Piastri will follow in the footsteps of compatriot Daniel Ricciardo, having his own grandstand at the Australian Grand Prix next season. The current Drivers’ Championship leader will see his fans housed opposite the pit lane by the start-finish line at the Albert Park street circuit.
Heading into the final 10 races of the season, Piastri leads McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by nine points in the Drivers’ Championship standings. The Australian will feel that this advantage should be bigger, though. The Melbourne-born racer gave up a nailed-on podium finish with a spin in wet conditions at the Australian GP, and then failed to convert his pole position in Imola. He was also disappointed at the British Grand Prix, where a controversial penalty for erratic driving behind the safety car stripped him of the race lead.
Whether he arrives back at his home race as a world champion or not, Piastri will be greeted by a huge cohort of his adoring fans. This means he follows in the footsteps of Ricciardo, who has a permanent grandstand at Turns Three and Four. “I’m very excited by the news that I’ll have my own grandstand at next year’s Australian Grand Prix,” he shared on social media.
“It feels very surreal, and I never thought this would happen, but the support is incredible, and I can’t wait to see it all come together next March. Seeing all the fans in my own grandstand directly opposite the McLaren garage is going to be an amazing experience, and I’m really looking forward to feeling the energy and the atmosphere.
“Thanks to everyone who has made this happen, and thanks in advance to everyone who wants to be part of it. The Australian fans always turn out to support me, and this is just an extra reason why I can’t wait to race in Melbourne in 2026.”
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Piastri will hope that his new grandstand will have a similar effort to team-mate Norris’. The Brit had three dedicated blocks at Stowe corner, which were all decked out in his signature neon yellow on race day.
They watched on as Norris stormed clear of Piastri, after his penalty, to claim his first British GP victory and continue whittling down the Australian’s championship advantage. The Bristol-born driver won three of the last four races before the summer break, closing in on his McLaren team-mate.
“It’s going to come down to execution,” McLaren boss Zak Brown told The Race. “It’s clear, from a pace point of view, there’s nothing in it. So, it’s going to come down to consistency of execution, or it could come down to luck of the draw: weather, safety car, or one guy gets wiped out by someone else on the track.”