McLaren have saluted Oscar Piastri's huge improvement over 12 months while Formula One's man of the moment next turns his attention to joining one of the sport's most exclusive clubs on his 24th birthday.

Piastri's best weekend yet in F1, earning his maiden pole, a consummate lights-out to chequered flag Grand Prix win and a runner's-up place in the sprint, made the Australian the talk of the Chinese GP paddock in Shanghai.

On a weekend when F1 honoured the memory of Eddie Jordan following his death in the week, everyone was reminded of last year's prediction from the Irish team owner and showman: "I have no doubt that Oscar Piastri is going to be one of the all-time future kings of our sport."

Indeed, Piastri's superb drives felt like his biggest statement yet that he's ready to step up and potentially even eclipse teammate Lando Norris, who'd been touted as McLaren's big championship hope, especially after winning in Australia while the home favourite ended up spinning out of contention.

But Piastri's Shanghai super show proved a timely reminder of the Melburnian's rare gifts as he now gets ready to shoot for his first back-to-back triumphs at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka on April 6, which just happens to be his 24th birthday.

Only two drivers in the sport's history have ever won on their birthdays - Briton James Hunt at the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix when he turned 29 while Frenchman Jean Alesi was 31 on the day he prevailed at the 1995 Canadian GP.

Last year, Piastri also turned 23 at Suzuka, and wasn't overjoyed with his sixth-place in qualifying on the big day.

"That was not a very good birthday present to myself," he sighed. "Based on that result, I don't recommend racing on my birthday - but I'm sure that's me just being a superstitious racing driver."

Superstitions apart, in a fortnight he'll certainly expect better than his eventual 2025 race-finish of eighth in Japan.

And his team principal at McLaren Andrea Stella was quick to explain in Shanghai just what a different driver Piastri is now to the 2024 model.

"Twelve months ago, this was one of the worst circuits for Oscar," Stella said. "It was one of the most difficult races for him. So the performance he's pulled off during this week shows how rapidly he grows, how rapidly he improves.

"Tyre management is one of the most difficult things to get when you are a rookie, getting the right balance between saving and pushing, and I think now he does it definitely very well.

"It's also the technicalities around the driving side. I've seen Oscar's driving style evolving, and this is ultimately what makes the difference. If you're capable of pulling all these aspects together when it counts, and the car is competitive, then you can pull off this sort of performance."

The only potential headache on the horizon for McLaren, having given the green light for Piastri and Norris to go head-to-head for the crown, is how to manage the rivalry that's bound to escalate between two dominant and well-matched teammates.

Remember Lewis Hamilton versus Nico Rosberg, and Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost?...

For the moment, though, all seems sweetness and light. "I think we're both excited, probably nervous and excited at the same time as I'm sure the team will be, but we're ready for it," as Norris put it.

"We know that, as much as we work together, have a good time and enjoy ourselves, we want to try and beat each other and show our best. That's inevitable.

"There's no point trying to hide away from that fact, or make something of it -- we're two competitors who both want to win."