Oscar Piastri mocks McLaren's sad Vegas double disqualification during his speech at team's Christmas celebration

Oscar Piastri took a cheeky dig at McLaren's heartbreaking Las Vegas GP double disqualification while giving a speech during the team's Christmas celebrations. The entire team and the organization's employees had gathered at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking last weekend after the team received its drivers' and constructors' championship trophies during the FIA Awards gala on Friday, December 12.

Both drivers delivered brief speeches addressing the large crowd of employees in attendance and expressing their feelings about the rollercoaster season. Oscar Piastri was the first to address the audience and spoke his heart out about all the emotions he felt through the 2025 season, which ultimately saw him lose his longstanding championship lead and the drivers' title to teammate Lando Norris.

"I think only the people in this room know all of the emotions that went into this year," Piastri said. "Not just the stats. All the hard work, the pride, the disappointment at times, the frustration, the intensity. What else is there? The determination we had, the relentlessness, and I think the enjoyment and the happiness that's come from this season. So, thank you very much for all of that."

This heartfelt part of the speech served as a nice setup to the wordplay the Aussie was about to use as a segue into joking about the Las Vegas GP double DSQ.

"I think this year's been pretty tiring at points. And I think it's worn us pretty thin... not quite as thin as our planks in Las Vegas (laughs). We can laugh about it now."

McLaren had its worst weekend of the season in Sin City, as Norris lost his second-place result and Piastri lost his fourth place. Both MCL39s were found to have excessive plank wear, with the thickness reducing to below the acceptable 9mm, due to the car running too low to the ground.

It played a pivotal role in the drivers' championship battle. Race winner Max Verstappen made an enormous leap in points, reducing a 42-point gap to Norris to 24, and got on level with Piastri with 366 points each.

Oscar Piastri gives props to Lando Norris for being a "deserving" F1 champion

Oscar Piastri, Zak Brown, Andrea Stella, and Lando Norris at the 2025 FIA Awards - Source: Getty

Oscar Piastri seemed to be the obvious choice for winning the 2025 F1 drivers' championship until the summer break, and even shortly after. However, the low-grip circuits in the American leg of the season exposed certain flaws in his racecraft and highlighted Lando Norris' strengths on such tracks.

Piastri would eventually lose his championship lead after the Mexico GP and also lose significant ground to Max Verstappen after the Vegas disqualification. However, he wasn't salty about losing the title to his teammate at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP. During the post-race FIA press conference at the Yas Marina Circuit, the 24-year-old spoke about Norris' emotional victory, saying:

"I think a very deserving winner. I know that every weekend I go on track, it’s going to be tough. And I think we’ve pushed each other through the last three years. I think, especially this season, has been tighter than ever."

"So, yeah, I think he’s had a great season. Probably all three of us, but obviously, myself and Lando in the same team, in the same car, have had our ups and downs at different moments. Ultimately, I think he’s had a good season and, a deserving champion."

Oscar Piastri won seven races in the season and stood on 16 podiums. He showed his championship-level caliber in the McLaren and will be a formidable threat in 2026 if the team aces the new technical regulations.