Where Oscar Piastri Ranks Amongst Australia's Greatest F1 Drivers
While he still has some achievements to lock in before he challenges Australian F1 greats like Alan Jones and Sir Jack Brabham for the top of the all-time drivers rankings, Oscar Piastri is on track to become the first Australian Formula One World Champion since Alan Jones in 1980. Should he achieve this, his name will go down in history with the greats of Australian motor racing, but some would argue he's already in that conversation.
Today, we're taking a retrospective look at the achievements of the greatest Australian F1 drivers. If you want to see how Oscar Piastri compares to the greats in wins, podiums, and points in his short but successful career, read on.
Jack Brabham pushing his car across the line to win 1959 Formula One World Championship | Image: Supplied
Has There Ever Been an Australian F1 World Champion?
Year Champion Points* Wins Podiums 1959 Jack Brabham 31 2 5 1960 Jack Brabham 43 5 5 1966 Jack Brabham 42 4 5 1980 Alan Jones 67 5 10
Scroll horizontally to view full table * FIA championship points credited after the season's drop‑score rules were applied.
The first Australian F1 driver to win the Formula One World Championship was Sir Jack Brabham.
His first of three titles arrived in 1959 when he won the US Grand Prix at Sebring International Raceway on 12 December 1959 by pushing his rear-engined Cooper T51 across the line. He would then back up his efforts a year later by winning the 1960 title behind the wheel of the Cooper T53, which would also secure the Cooper team a constructors' title. Six years later, he won the 1966 championship behind the wheel of his own Brabham BT19 and BT20, powered by a 3.0-litre Repco 620 3.0 V8.
Notably, only the best five results from the nine- and ten-race 1959, 1960, and 1966 seasons counted towards the championship. Still, this was no small achievement as Brabham was racing against names like Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, John Surtees, and Jackie Stewart.
The last Australian to win a Formula One World Championship was Alan Jones, who took home the 1980 title behind the wheel of a Williams-Ford FW07 and FW07B. He would beat out names like Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, and Mario Andretti during the 14-race season, winning five races and scoring five fastest laps. Jones would put up a strong fight in the 1981 season, finishing third in the title race, but with Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, and Nigel Mansell on the up and up, and Carlos Reutemann in peak form, it was going to be tough to mirror the success of the 1980 season.
Neither Daniel Ricciardo nor Mark Webber won a Formula One World Championship, but Webber managed to finish third in the championship in the 2010, 2011 and 2013 seasons. Ricciardo managed the same in the 2014 and 2016 seasons.
Sir Jack Brabham has the most wins with 14 | Image: Supplied
Which Australian F1 Driver Has the Most Race Wins?
Driver Total wins First victory Win span Sir Jack Brabham 14 1959 Monaco GP 1959‑1970 Alan Jones 12 1977 Austrian GP 1977‑1981 Mark Webber 9 2009 German GP (Nürburgring) 2009‑2012 Daniel Ricciardo 8 2014 Canadian GP 2014‑2021 Oscar Piastri 8 2024 Hungarian GP 2024‑2025
Scroll horizontally to view full table
Oscar Piastri is on track to secure his first Formula One World Championship in 2025, but he's still a ways behind Sir Jack Brabham for outright titles.
That said, Oscar has a very good chance of catching Sir Jack for total race wins in the not-so-distant future. Most recently, he tied Daniel Ricciardo with eight race wins after a first-place victory at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. His manager, Mark Webber, is next on the list with nine wins before Alan Jones on 12, and finally, Sir Jack Brabham with 14.
Mark Webber has the most podiums with 42 | Image: Supplied
Who Has the Most Podiums?
Driver Career podiums First podium Most‑recent podium Podium span Sir Jack Brabham 31 1959 Monaco GP (P1) 1970 British GP (P2) 1959 – 1970 Alan Jones 24 1977 Austrian GP (P1) 1981 Caesars Palace GP (P1) 1977 – 1981 Mark Webber 42 2005 Monaco GP (P3) 2013 Brazilian GP (P2) 2005 – 2013 Daniel Ricciardo 32 2014 Spanish GP (P3) 2021 Italian GP (P1) 2014 – 2021 Oscar Piastri 21 2023 Japanese GP (P3) 2025 Belgian GP (P1) 2023 – 2025 Tim Schenken 1 1971 Austrian GP (P3) 1971 Austrian GP (P3) 1971
Scroll horizontally to view full table
We dislike intergenerational comparisons as much as the next person, but podiums are the toughest to make because of the number of races in a season.
The 1959 F1 season had a total of nine races, while the 2025 F1 season has a total of 24 Grands Prix (six of which include an F1 Sprint race). There are more chances to land a spot on the podium, but we don't want to take away from just how hard it is for someone like Daniel Ricciardo, Mark Webber, and Oscar Piastri to get a bottle of Champagne in their hands.
With 24 races per F1 season today, Oscar Piastri could easily catch his manager, Mark Webber, within the next two seasons if he continues to win at a high level.
Oscar Piastri wins the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix | Image: Supplied
Where Does Oscar Piastri Sit Amongst the All-Time Greats?
With 21 podiums, eight GP wins, and a real chance at the first Formula One World Championship for an Australian F1 driver in more than 40 years, Oscar Piastri could catch Mark Webber and 1980 F1 Champion Alan Jones quickly to become one of the greatest Australian F1 drivers of all time.
If he manages to hold out teammate Lando Norris and win the 2025 World Championship, Piastri would eclipse Jones in the rankings, but where he ranks against Sir Jack Brabham and his pre-ground-effects titles is up for debate.
It will be an accomplishment worth celebrating when he catches his manager, Mark Webber, for podiums and wins. However, Piastri likely has more in the tank than a few wins. Still early in his career, he has the potential for more than a few Formula One World Championships if his car, skill, and a little luck can continue to perform at a high level.
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