Can Piastri or Doohan end Australian Grand Prix podium curse?

No Australian driver has officially stood on the podium at Albert Park is the place cursed for Aussies? From Mark Webber’s stunning debut in 2002 to Daniel Ricciardo’s heartbreak in 2014 and Oscar Piastri’s promising rise, the ‘home curse’ has persisted.

In 2025, two Australians—Piastri and rookie Jack Doohan—will take to the grid, each looking to etch their name in history by breaking the streak.

Before 2002, Australian fans had no local driver to support at Albert Park, but that changed when Mark Webber made his debut with Minardi. The 25-year-old, relatively late to F1, capitalised on a chaotic race to finish fifth—scoring points in a car that had failed to register a single point in three years.

The moment was so significant that Webber was invited onto the podium to celebrate, despite not finishing in the top three. His performance not only ignited his own career but also paved the way for a continuous presence of Australian drivers in F1 since.

A decade after Webber’s debut, Daniel Ricciardo became Australia’s next big hope. His home Grand Prix played a central role in his career, with his first F1 points coming at Albert Park in 2012. However, it was in 2014, in his first race as Webber’s Red Bull replacement, that Ricciardo seemingly secured a historic home podium by finishing second.

Hours later, he was disqualified for a fuel-flow breach, dashing his hopes of becoming the first Australian to officially stand on the Melbourne podium. Despite competing in nine more home races, Ricciardo never replicated that moment.

Melbourne finally gained a homegrown driver when Oscar Piastri, a Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion, made his F1 debut in 2023. He secured his first career points at Albert Park that year, finishing eighth in a chaotic race. Now entering his third season, Piastri arrives at his home race as a two-time Grand Prix winner and a genuine contender in 2025.

With McLaren emerging as a top team, Piastri has a strong chance to do what no Australian has done before—finish in the top three at Albert Park and finally end the country’s home podium drought.

Piastri’s move to McLaren opened the door for another rising star, Jack Doohan, to join the F1 grid. The son of five-time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, Jack has progressed through Alpine’s ranks, serving as a reserve driver before securing a full-time seat in 2025.

Doohan becomes just the fourth Australian to race in his home Grand Prix at Albert Park. With the passionate home crowd behind him, his debut will be filled with anticipation. While his primary goal will be to gain experience, he will no doubt be motivated by the success of Webber, Ricciardo, and Piastri before him.

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix presents a unique opportunity for Australia’s F1 stars. Piastri has the pace to challenge for the podium, while Doohan has a chance to impress on debut. Webber and Ricciardo have come close before, but could this be the year an Australian finally stands on the Albert Park podium?