Damon Hill concerned by what he heard about Oscar Piastri during pre-season testing

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Damon Hill has been left worried by something Pedro De La Rosa has told him about Oscar Piastri’s McLaren during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

After three intense days of running at the Bahrain International Circuit, all 20 drivers will be itching to return to the track on Thursday for the start of the 2024 F1 season.

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast and previewing the first race of the year, Damon Hill, Pedro De La Rosa, Natalie Pinkham and Tom Clarkson were discussing their thoughts on the campaign ahead.

Damon Hill concerned by what he’s heard about Piastri in testing

McLaren will be hoping that they can continue their fantastic form from the end of 2023 into this year.

Only Max Verstappen outscored Lando Norris after they brought their upgrades to Austria and aside from a few issues in qualifying, he was outstanding.

Norris appeared to be pushed further by rookie Oscar Piastri who made an immediate impact on the rest of the grid.

His Sprint Race in Qatar will live long in the memory for the youngster and Ralf Schumacher has suggested that he ‘never makes a mistake’.

However, while McLaren are in a much better place than 12 months ago, they haven’t fixed all of their issues yet.

Damon Hill has admitted he’s worried about what he’s heard about Piastri’s running during testing in Bahrain.

Jolyon Palmer watched the action in Bahrain very closely and believes he’s spotted the team’s Achilles heel.

The circuit in Sakhir has never been the best for McLaren and that might be the case again this weekend.

McLaren still ironing out issues before 2024 season starts

Talking about the MCL38, De La Rosa said: “It didn’t look like an easy car to drive out there. When I was watching through the corners, and you could tell that the drivers were fighting.

“Especially, I was watching Oscar [Piastri] on his short runs on day three and he was trying to put a lap time together and he kept going off at turn 11 on the exit, so the car was definitely not easy to drive.

“They were fast, yes, but they were having to fight it a bit more.”

Damon Hill wasn’t encouraged by De La Rosa’s response and replied: “Now that is a bit worrying.”

McLaren have a few unique parts on their car and will be hoping that gives them a small advantage this year.

Hill doesn’t have too much to fear from De La Rosa’s testing review of Piastri given McLaren rarely expect too much when they head to Bahrain.

They recorded a double DNF in the first race in Sakhir in 2004 and have never won in Bahrain.

It makes a lot more sense to review where they are compared to their rivals after the first five races.

Alongside the flurry of upgrades they bring every year that tend to give them a mid-season advantage during most campaigns.