Oscar Piastri breaks new ground with The Don Award — and keeps his eyes on the bigger prize
Australia’s most coveted sporting honour has just welcomed its first racer. Oscar Piastri has been named the 2025 recipient of The Don Award, a landmark moment that plants a McLaren driver right in the middle of the nation’s sporting pantheon — and right in the middle of a title fight.
Named for Sir Donald Bradman and bestowed by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, The Don recognises the athlete who most inspired the country over the past year. In a field that traditionally leans towards cricket bats, Olympic medals and footy boots, Piastri’s breakthrough is a statement: Formula 1 has a new Australian standard-bearer, and his impact goes well beyond Sunday afternoons.
“Winning an award in the name of Sir Donald Bradman is a massive privilege,” Piastri said. “Everyone in Australia knows exactly what he represented and the legacy he has in Australian sport, so it’s not lost on me how major this award is. It’s always an amazing feeling to represent our country on the world stage and do well for ourselves. Thank you to everyone that waves the flag and cheers me on at all the Grand Prix races around the world. To be a recipient of The Don Award is a great honour, and I look forward to representing our country for many years to come.”
What’s helped put him there isn’t just speed. It’s the manner in which he’s managed the sharp end of a title campaign at 24, and the way he’s handled the circus that comes with it — measured, unflappable, and deceptively punchy in the wheel-to-wheel moments that matter.
That blend hasn’t gone unnoticed by the people handing out the silverware. Sport Australia Hall of Fame Selection Committee Chair Bruce McAvaney OAM called Piastri’s ascent “nothing short of outstanding,” adding: “We feel linked to this young man’s challenges and triumphs lived out in a spotlight that very few sports attract. His superb skill and sportsmanship are matched with a rare maturity and poise in an adrenaline-fuelled arena.”
Piastri becomes the first motorsport figure to receive The Don — a genuine piece of Australian sporting history given the names that have preceded him. For a Melbourne kid who cut his teeth on local kart tracks before winning his way through Europe’s junior titles, it’s a notable bookmark in a career that’s accelerating fast.
There’s no time to bask, though. McLaren’s title push rolls straight into the final triple-header with a sprint still to come, and Piastri knows the margins are slim. He’s chasing teammate Lando Norris in the standings with three rounds left on the board, an intra-team duel that’s driven McLaren’s season narrative and sharpened both drivers’ edges.
“All right, everyone, three races left to go in season,” Piastri said during a final visit to the McLaren Technology Centre before the run-in. “It’s my final marketing day here at MTC for the year so the year is coming to a close. We’ve got three very important races to go, obviously, Vegas, Qatar, Abu Dhabi. Three very different races, one more sprint in Qatar to go so I’m looking forward to it. Excited to see how we do, see what happens and have some fun.”
The schedule won’t cut him any slack. Las Vegas is all nerve and tyre management under lights. Qatar’s sprint format can flip a weekend in an hour. Abu Dhabi has a habit of deciding things with the pressure needle in the red. In short: perfect stages for a driver who’s spent 2025 turning quiet consistency into big results when it counts.
The Don Award nod won’t add horsepower. But it does underline how far Piastri has carried Australia’s flag — and how comfortably he’s worn the responsibility. Mark Webber cleared the path. Daniel Ricciardo added the grin. Piastri’s writing the next chapter with that cool, clinical air that tends to travel well in title fights.
He’s now part of an exclusive Australian roll call and, if he has his way, there’ll be a rather larger trophy to chase before the year is out. For now, though, you’d forgive him a moment to take it in: the kid from Melbourne, honoured in Bradman’s name, steering an F1 title bid with three to go. Not a bad week at the office.
