Oscar Piastri‘s ascension to the top of the Formula 1 world has been rapid to say the least. That he’s still only in his third season beggars belief.

But there is a not-so-secret weapon in the young Melburnian’s arsenal that nobody else on the grid has, and he’s putting it to good use – Mark Webber.

Since retiring from F1 at the end of 2013, he’s turned to punditry with Channel 4 in the UK. And together with his wife Anne, is Piastri’s manager and mentor.

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While Anne manages the administration side of things, Mark is his racing mentor. And his fingerprints are all over the 24-year-old’s driving style.

Webber was fearless in fast corners. He famously overtook Fernando Alonso with one hand off the steering wheel around the outside during the Belgian Grand Prix.

Piastri has now put two moves on Lewis Hamilton in the first five races of the season that looked like vintage Webber. The first was around the outside at the ultra-quick turn nine on the final lap in Melbourne for ninth. The second just this weekend at Saudi Arabia, around the outside through the dust after his pit stop.

“He clearly has little fear in fast corners, even around the outside of somebody of Lewis’ calibre,” Martin Brundle wrote of the Saudi Arabia move in his column for Sky Sports.

It’s fitting then that with his win in Jeddah, Piastri become the first Australian since Webber himself in 2010 to lead the drivers championship.

He never won the title, although arguably should’ve in 2010, but Webber did everything else. The lessons learned from his 215 race starts and nine grand prix victories are invaluable to any young driver who, like Piastri, has talent to burn and the temperament of a monk.

Like Webber, Piastri is unflappable under pressure. Two of his three race victories have been when he’s not been the faster of the two McLaren drivers.

In China, Norris made two errors in qualifying that allowed Piastri to take pole. In Saudi Arabia it was much the same. Norris had looked the quicker of the two but threw his car into the wall in the final part of qualifying and consigned himself to a P10 start.

In both cases, once the chips were down, Norris made errors. Piastri did not.

For proof of Webber’s influence, look no further than Liam Lawson.

Demoted from Red Bull back to Racing Bulls after just two races, Lawson has been beaten by teammate Isack Hadjar in each of the three races since.

With Lawson’s confidence no doubt shot, a mentor like Webber could prove the difference in his regaining the form he displayed in his cameos in 2023 and 2024, and fading into obscurity as another talent unfulfilled.

In Supercars, Kiwi gun and former Holden ace Greg Murphy is filling such a role for young compatriot Ryan Wood. Murphy also previously mentored Nick Cassidy, who went on to carve a successful career in sports cars.

“I personally totally believe that’s Liam Lawson’s biggest problem right now – he doesn’t have anyone,” he said on the Apex Hunters United podcast.

“Show me another F1 driver at the moment that has a Mark Webber doing what Mark Webber is doing. Liam’s got nobody – he’s got some people that have helped him back here in New Zealand sort of running the ship, (but) they’re not up to it.

“He needs someone who’s totally in-tune, networked, has the phone numbers, can talk to anybody, has the respect.

“(Webber) can be in the McLaren team in the way he is because they want Oscar to perform at his absolute best. Well, what are all the tools we need for that? Mark Webber is one of them … it’s just so obvious.”

McLaren thought Lando Norris would be its best chance at winning its first drivers’ title since 1999, but they wouldn’t have counted on the Aussie’s rapid development as a driver.

In his rookie season, managing tyre life was his Achilles heel. Last year, it was qualifying pace. Smoked by Norris 20-4 in the qualifying head-to-head last season, Piastri leads 3-2 from the opening five races. On the two occasions he was slower, he was less than a tenth behind.

Alan Jones was the last Aussie world champion in 1980. Oscar Piastri in 2025 represents the best chance of ending that drought.

There are few in the paddock who would argue Max Verstappen is not still the benchmark driver on the grid. In a Red Bull car that’s proving difficult at best to wrangle, Verstappen still managed to take a shock pole and race victory in Japan.

He just might’ve repeated that in Jeddah if not for the penalty for that lap one move. Alas, he made the move, paid the price, and didn’t win the race.

Piastri won his third race of the season, and the fifth of his career in just his 51st start.

Do the math – 10 per cent of the races he’s started, he’s won.

And he’ll only get better.