The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement
Matthew Clayton

Matthew Clayton

Freelance journalist Matthew Clayton has been covering F1 for more than 25 years.

Oscar Piastri after his race day reached a nightmare end.

Australian Grand Prix as it happened: Piastri breaks down his gut-wrenching crash as attention turns to Shanghai

Recap all the news, action and talking points from the season’s first Formula 1 grand prix from Albert Park.

  • Russell Bennett, Scott Spits, Hannah Kennelly, Matthew Clayton and Selma Milovanovic

Latest

George Russell wins

‘Very dangerous by Leclerc’: Inside an epic battle for supremacy at Albert Park

The hometown hero didn’t make the start line, but here’s how the race unfolded.

  • Matthew Clayton
Oscar Piastri’s car sits abandoned after he crashed out on a warm-up lap.

The driver, the car, or both? How Piastri crashed out in Melbourne before the race even started

The Melburnian didn’t even make it to the start of Sunday’s 58-lap race, crashing his McLaren on the formation lap to the grid. We break down what happened.

  • Matthew Clayton
Max Verstappen couldn’t win the championship last year, but he’s racing as well as ever.

F1’s most authentic star: Why Max Verstappen refuses to play the game

Max Verstappen isn’t in Formula 1 to waste anyone’s time – not yours, not his team’s and certainly not his.

  • Matthew Clayton
Oscar Piastri and the rest of the F1 grid were given a wake-up call by a resurgent Mercedes.

‘We got blown out of the water’: Piastri to start home race from fifth as Mercedes unleash their true pace

Australian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday at Albert Park – low fuel, one lap, gloves off, sandbags discarded – was where F1’s annual phoney war was set to stop.

  • Matthew Clayton and Hannah Kennelly
Oscar Piastri won’t be affected by being pipped by his teammate, says Alan Jones.

It’s 46 years since an Aussie was the king of F1. That man says Oscar is ready to break the drought

Alan Jones says compatriot Oscar Piastri is the type of driver who will use last year’s disappointment as motivation to drive faster in 2026, starting at the Melbourne GP.

  • Matthew Clayton
Advertisement
Oscar Piastri celebrates second place in Abu Dhabi – and third in the drivers’ championship.

Piastri led the F1 title race by 34 points, but ended up third. One moment in his slide will hurt more than most

For now, Oscar Piastri will process 2025, wonder if he could have handled the tough times better, and keep his fingers crossed that McLaren’s policy of letting its drivers fight fairly persists now one of them has the world champion’s No.1 on the nosecone of his car next year.

  • Matthew Clayton
Oscar Piastri’s title hopes are still alive heading into the final race of the season.

It’s a narrow path to victory, but this is why Oscar Piastri can still win the Formula 1 world title

We examine every permutation in what has to happen for Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to seal the crown in the final race of the season Abu Dhabi.

  • Matthew Clayton
Australian Oscar Piastri after the Qatar Grand Prix.

McLaren made their worst call of the season. Oscar Piastri has suffered again

Oscar Piastri will head to the final race in Abu Dhabi in third after a pit stop blunder saw Max Verstappen claim victory in Qatar and overtake the Australian in the drivers’ championship.

  • Matthew Clayton
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia.

Little form, no momentum: Piastri’s poor run continues, and the timing couldn’t be worse

Oscar Piastri has been in a downward spiral since holding a 34-point championship lead earlier this season. At first, it seemed like an anomalous mistake, then a coincidence. Now it’s looking like a trend.

  • Matthew Clayton