Oscar Piastri may have suffered F1 2025 defeat as Lando Norris reached the summit, but Zak Brown sees great things ahead for the Australian.<\/p>\n
In the opinion of Brown, the McLaren Racing CEO, Piastri<\/a> is a \u201cfuture World Champion\u201d. Brown called Formula 1 a \u201ccruel sport\u201d, after both Norris and Piastri \u201cdrove brilliantly\u201d, but the title went Norris\u2019 way.<\/p>\n Zak Brown on Oscar Piastri: \u2018Future World Champion\u2019<\/p>\n Piastri appeared to be marching towards a maiden World Championship at the midway point of the season. He was 34 points clear of Norris after the Dutch Grand Prix, but Norris rallied, and Piastri saw his form gradually tail off.<\/p>\n A late-season resurgence from Piastri could not repair the damage, as Norris took the crown by two points from Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen. Piastri was forced to settle for third following the Abu Dhabi title decider, after a three-way battle between that trio.<\/p>\n Brown has no doubts that Piastri\u2019s time will come.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a future World Champion,\u201d Brown said of Piastri when speaking with Sky F1.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth our guys won seven races. Drove brilliantly. They supported each other.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a cruel sport. Things sometimes go your way. Don\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m excited to go racing with these two guys next year.\u201d<\/p>\n More F1 2025 reaction from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Ranked: How each team performed in F1 2025<\/a><\/p>\n PlanetF1.com Awards: Best Grand Prix of the Year<\/a><\/p>\n While the outcome was not what Piastri had hoped for, F1 2025 was nonetheless a season of marked progression in his third campaign.<\/p>\n Piastri spoke of valuable lessons learned for the future, as he bids to come back in 2026 and mount a fresh charge.<\/p>\n A great deal of intrigue surrounds the 2026 campaign with new chassis and engine regulations on the horizon, meaning the potential for shifts in the pecking order.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I would have wished for a slightly different ending, but I think this year I\u2019ve learned a hell of a lot about myself as a race car driver, myself as a person,\u201d Piastri told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media outlets.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if you had presented this season at the start of the year with the pole positions and the wins and the podiums, I definitely would have been pretty happy with that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think even in the tough moments, I\u2019ve learned a lot about myself and how I can be stronger in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I think, ultimately, there\u2019s a little bit of disappointment, obviously, but I think I can be very proud of the season I\u2019ve had and plenty of lessons to take to the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n