Piastri: We tried absolutely everything to win

The Australian driver led the Drivers' Standings for longer than any other competitor throughout the campaign, but he ultimately ended up in third place, behind eventual Champion and teammate Lando Norris and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

With a hefty 16-point deficit to try and overturn, Piastri opted to gamble on his strategy by starting the Grand Prix on the hard compound of tyre.

He did well to get past Norris on the opening lap, and kept close tabs to Verstappen in the opening half of the 58-lap event. When Verstappen came into the pits for fresh rubber on lap 24, Piastri found himself in the lead, albeit with much slower tyres than those behind him.

The McLaren driver eventually pitted on lap 42 and came out ahead of Norris, but didn't have enough of a pace advantage over Verstappen to close the gap and challenge for the win.

Even if Piastri achieved victory at the Yas Marina Circuit, he would have needed Norris to finish in sixth or lower. Unfortunately for him, Norris crossed the line in third and secured a maiden Drivers' Title.

A string of poor results from the Azerbaijan to the Las Vegas Grands Prix likely cost Piastri Championship glory. Nevertheless, the Aussie racer chose to focus on the positives when speaking to media after the final race of the season.

When asked if he was satisfied with how his last race of 2025 panned out, Piastri's stated that he did everything he could to win the Grand Prix but ultimately didn't have the speed advantage over Verstappen.

He said: "I think today, yes. We gave it everything.

"We tried a bit of a gamble on strategy. Tried absolutely everything to try and win the race and give ourselves the best chance to win the championship but ultimately we didn't have the pace today."

Thinking back on how the season as a whole went for him, the 24-year-old echoed Verstappen's comments out of the car by saying that while he was disappointed not to be crowned Champion, he enjoyed being a part of a three-way Title fight.

He continued: "It has been a fun challenge. Obviously at certain points maybe it doesn't feel that fun but I think it has been a really enjoyable season for both of us probably and I'm saying that as the person who's not champion.

"I've learnt plenty of things along the way. Even the last three years I've learnt things every weekend from what Lando does and it's nice to know that it goes both ways.

"There are plenty of years to come of intense weekends and tight battles but, ultimately, I think that has made both of us better drivers and, in some ways, contributed to the success both of us have had this year," concluded Piastri.

Piastri will be hoping to get his maiden Drivers' Title next year, when new technical regulations will shake up the order. The first race in Australia will commence Sunday 8 March 2026 at 04:00 GMT (15:00 local time).