AUSTRALIAN FORMULA ONE superstar Oscar Piastri will be in stunning shape for this week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with the Melburnian not only gunning for the win, but to stack them up through the season, too, for a shot at a maiden title.
If he can do it, he’ll not only become the first Australian to win his home F1 Grand Prix, but the first to lift the crown since Alan Jones in 1980 – and the third Aussie after Jones and the late, great Sir Jack Brabham (who has three in total, and is the only man to win the title in a car bearing his own name).
And Piastri, who this week signed a new multi-year deal extension that will keep him at McLaren beyond 2026 (likely through to 2028) wants to take the fight to his highly rated teammate Lando Norris.
“The preparation for both of us has been preparing for a world championship fight and I think it would be naive of us to go into the season preparing for anything less. So, I think that’s always the way you want to prepare things,” Piastri says.
But, the 23-year-old will have local support from more than just the fans in the stands, with his McLaren team sponsored by Melbourne-founded brand Airwallex, which is a leading global financial platform that accelerates the team’s cross-border payments.
Airwallex offers trusted solutions to manage everything from payments, treasury, and spend management through to embedded finance. With its proprietary infrastructure, Airwallex supports over 150,000 businesses globally and is trusted by brands such as Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN, and many more.
At McLaren, which competes at events all over the world, and has factory suppliers all over Europe, requiring multiple currencies, Airwallex ensure the papaya team operates quickly and efficiently – just like it does in races.
But, as with any business, there are plenty of challenges – and for McLaren, knowing where it sits in F1’s super-competitive pecking order will only be become clear on the Saturday after qualifying. And that’s where the real work starts.
“Of course, we are never going to know what our competition is like until Melbourne,” Piastri says. “So that obviously dictates a lot of your performance for the season. But I think we’re going in with the confidence of the [previous] results and the Constructors’ Championship we achieved last season. So, I think that’s definitely our aim.”
For Piastri, that means being ready for anything, which started early in January of this year with pre-season training. It goes without saying most athletes are supremely fit, with Olympians the ultimate example. That means muscles on muscles, conditioned and primed for execution – with explosive power and endurance expended at will.
But on par with Olympic competitors are F1 drivers, who are under huge pressure when racing at over 320km/h. Their hand-made F1 cars are prototypes, updated throughout the season, with more than 950bhp under their right foot – capable of zero to 100km/h in less than 3-seconds.
To handle that kind of beast, you need supreme strength. Not just for the violent forces in the car, with up to 5G experienced in corners and under braking; using up to 150-bar of pressure (one powerful left leg stamp) to brake.
But what marks out the potential world champions from the rest of the pack are those who still have enough energy left over, after all that brutal effort, to analyse, strategise and race others at the limit.
Get an F1 driver’s core
In F1, an iron core is vitally important. According to world renowned driver trainer Stuart Smith, it helps them counteract the g-forces, “thus the stronger the core, the better performance can be”. Here he gives us his four tips to lock it down.
TRX Jack knife x 15
Place your feet in a TRX or similar suspension system. Start in a push-up position with abdominals and glutes braced. Complete a controlled ‘pike’ motion by raising your hips and creating a ‘jack knife’ effect.
Woodchopper x 15 each side
Start in a seated position with knees under hips with a weight plate next to you. Take the weight plate and rotate from your left hip to above your right shoulder, ensuring you follow the path of the weight plate all the way.
3-point prone (alternating points of contact) 15 second holds X 4 for each 3-point contact
Start in a prone position with elbows on the floor directly underneath shoulders and knees directly underneath hips. Brace your abdominals and glutes. Complete 15 seconds of left arm raised in front of the body, 15 seconds of right leg raised, 15 seconds of right arm raised in front of the body and then 15 seconds of left leg raised. Ensure hips are square at all times throughout the exercise.
Lower back – 45 degree back extension x 20
On a 45-degree back extension machine, place hips in a comfortable position. Lower down and then squeeze your glutes to rise back up again, creating a 45-degree straight line between your ankles, hips and shoulders.
1-minute break between sets, repeat 3-4 times. Always ensure regular breathing patterns throughout exercises and as a general rule, exhale with effort.
Shifting perspectives ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne is all about thrilling performance art ahead of the FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025, with leading Melbourne-founded global financial platform, Airwallex launching its ‘Shifted Perspectives’ campaign with the McLaren F1 Team and acclaimed First Nations artist, Reko Rennie.
Over 200 guests attended Airwallex’s glittering Shifted Perspectives event on Wednesday night for the highly anticipated unveiling of the McLaren Artura featuring Rennie’s bold design and a fireside chat with the artist and hometown hero, Oscar Piastri.
An Official Partner of the McLaren F1 Team, Airwallex elevated the partnership through an exciting creative collaboration with Rennie, an internationally renowned Kamilaroi artist, whose bold, thought-provoking work explores Indigenous identity and modern urban culture.
Rennie, whose vision for this project embodied the concept of ‘shifting perspectives’, used camouflage and graphic diamond patterns to cover the car – with the diamond shape one of his most utilised motifs, which pays homage to his Kamilaroi heritage in a form similar to a family crest.
The hand-drawn symbols and repetitive patterning were used to subvert romantic ideologies of Aboriginal identity. His bespoke design transformed the McLaren Artura Coupe – a high-performance hybrid supercar – into a striking sculptural installation, blending art and performance, as well as Airwallex and McLaren’s spirit of innovation.
“At Airwallex, we’re always looking for ways to push boundaries and create unexpected moments that provoke thought,” said Jon Stona, VP, Global Marketing, Airwallex.
“Seeing Reko’s design come to life on the McLaren Artura was a truly special moment. Just like McLaren challenges conventions on the track, and Oscar Piastri takes on the world’s best in F1, we want to encourage Australian businesses to shift their perspectives, take bold steps, and scale globally.
“Unveiling this design in front of a live audience has been incredible,” Rennie said. “As a lover of both art and sport, the crowd reaction affirmed how art and sport can intersect to create something truly unique. At the core, this collaboration is a celebration of innovation, heritage and pushing boundaries, which is what I try to embody in my work, and Airwallex and McLaren represent.”
The McLaren Artura, featuring Rennie’s striking design is also on public display at Melbourne’s Queensbridge Square from 13-16 March, offering fans the chance to witness the one-of-a-kind design in person.
Related:
Oscar Piastri’s performance coach reveals how F1 drivers stay fit
