Piastri: My self-confidence will stay with me forever.

      Oscar Piastri understands perfectly that in the new season he'll have work to do to improve his professional craft, but he knows for sure that although he couldn't realize his dream in 2025, it was a year in which he learned a great deal.

      "Many races went well, and there are many I look back on very fondly," the McLaren driver told Australian broadcaster 7Sport. "The confidence, the belief in my own abilities that I gained last year — that's something that will stay with me forever.

      "Of course, there are things I need to keep working on, and there were moments where I would probably have acted differently, and I'm sure the team feels the same. But all of this will make me stronger in the future, and I hope we have many more successful years ahead."

      Piastri also singled out the support of his fellow countrymen — Australian fans who were in the grandstands at nearly every round of the championship — as being a huge help.

      "During the European part of the season there probably weren't that many of them, but the Australians who did attend those races managed to make their support felt," Piastri said. "Even if there weren't always many of our people, they're usually the loudest, and that's great!

      "But some races were closer to Australia, for example the Singapore Grand Prix. There I felt something special seeing that strong support and how many Australians were in the stands. I hope this trend continues."

      In the past year Piastri and his teammate each recorded seven victories, but Lando Norris had a stronger end to the season and ultimately took the title, with Oscar finishing third in the World Championship.