Speaking with Speedcafe, the long-time NBC Sports broadcaster didn’t hesitate when asked whether the 24-year-old McLaren star could finally end Australia’s 45-year title drought.
“I think he will,” Diffey said. “I don’t really like predicting, but just what I see in him, he’s incredible. He’s absolutely incredible.”
Piastri has been in standout form throughout the first half of the 2025 season, and Diffey pointed to recent performances — including a strong comeback to second in Austria after a compromised qualifying — as proof the Melbourne native is built for title fights.
“He got screwed in qualifying when Gasly spun, so he didn’t get to do his second qualifying lap, what was potentially going to be his best lap,” Diffey explained.
“In his interview afterwards, I think it was David Coulthard interviewing him, he just said, ‘Well, I can tell you this, I won’t be finishing third tomorrow.’ And I just love that about him.
“That’s that fighter, that Aussie fighter, in him.”
While Piastri may come across as calm and soft-spoken, Diffey said there’s a competitive fire bubbling beneath the surface, something he recognises from the sport’s greats.
“He still looks like he’s about 12,” he joked, “but that fire inside is just incredible. And I love it. I love the way he races.”
With McLaren leading both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, the Piastri–Lando Norris rivalry is shaping as the battle that could decide the season. And Diffey is backing the Aussie to come out on top.
“I think as motorsport fans we’re being treated to a tremendous rivalry,” he said. “Lando’s fantastic, but if I had to put them head-to-head, I think Oscar is going to come out on top.
“I don’t think mid-season upgrades or after the summer break, I don’t think anybody is turning their season around that dramatically where anybody is going to touch the McLaren pair.
“We’re going to be treated all the way to the end.”
Diffey also credited Piastri’s manager, former F1 star Mark Webber, as a major asset in his title charge.
“I think the big benefit for Oscar is having Mark Webber in his corner,” he said. “For everything that Mark endured and learned, he gets to put that all into Oscar.
“The good, the bad, the don’t-do-this, the politics, how to duck and dive and how to handle everything.
“I think Oscar has a great car, great team, great manager, great outlook, super talent. Why can’t he be world champion? To me, he’s got all the ingredients.”
And if it all plays out the way Diffey hopes, he’s already making travel plans.
“I hope that it goes pretty close to the end, and I’m finished with the NASCAR season, and I can book a plane ride somewhere to go and see the first Aussie world champion in 45 years, that’d be pretty cool.”
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