'Compelling' season earns F1 flyer landmark honour

Oscar Piastri's breakout start to the Formula One season has earned him the peak Don Award from the Sport Australia Hall Of Fame. While Piastri has recently been passed by McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the world drivers' championship standings, the 24-year-old from Melbourne won seven rounds in only his third year as an F1 driver. Surfing great Layne Beachley won the Dawn Award at Monday night's annual ceremony in Melbourne. The seven-time world champion was honoured for her pivotal contribution to the sport and the significant obstacles she overcame. Named after Sir Donald Bradman, The Don honours the Australian sporting star who has most "inspired the nation" over the past year. The Dawn was introduced to the Hall Of Fame awards four years ago, honouring new patron Dawn Fraser. It recognises an individual or group to have shown courage and bravery and changed sport for the better. Piastri won seven of F1's first 15 rounds this year for a career total of nine and the McLaren driver led the standings as recently as the end of August. Even though he has finished off the podium in the last five races and trails British teammate Norris by 24 points with three rounds left, Hall Of Fame selection committee chair Bruce McAvaney said Piastri's season had been the "most compelling" story in Australian sport this year. Piastri is the first F1 driver to win The Don since its inception in 1998. Last year's winners were Olympic canoeing champions Jessica and Noemie Fox. "Obviously winning an award in the name of Sir Donald Bradman is a massive privilege - I think everyone in Australia knows exactly what Sir Donald represented and the legacy he has in Australian sport," Piastri said. "So it's not lost on me how major this award is."Piastri was unable to attend the SAHOF function in person, with the next round of the F1 season in Las Vegas on Sunday. "It's always an amazing feeling to represent our country on the world stage and we normally have some good success trying to do it as a country (on) the other side of the world ... and with not as many people as a lot of other places," he said. "We do pretty good for ourselves. Thank you very much for all the support." Piastri's parents accepted the award, with his Dad Chris speaking of how their son went overseas as a teenager to pursue his motorsport ambitions. "I don't think (his) Mum was too keen on the idea, I wasn't too keen either, but he did it ... it's a massive credit to him," Chris said. "He's going to fight there to the end (in the championship). "The way he carries himself, his humble nature - he'll never change, even if he wins five world championships." Piastri's Mum Nicole said she often found it tough to watch him race. "It's fair to say Formula One is not a mother's sport," she said. "I'd much prefer Oscar to be a pro golfer or tennis player. But it was apparent from a very young age that car racing was his passion, so I support it. "My heart rate is dangerously high every race, particularly at the start." Nicole said she could not ask for more from him, "except maybe for your son to ring you a bit more often". Basketballer Andrew Gaze and cricketer Belinda Clark were officially elevated to SAHOF Legend status. Torah Bright (snowboarding), Jason Dunstall (AFL), Laura Geitz (netball), Peter Harcourt (sports medicine), Lleyton Hewitt (tennis), Mark Schwarzer (soccer) and Cameron Smith (rugby league) were the new SAHOF inductees.