Damon Hill explains why Oscar Piastri reminded him of Alain Prost with ‘ruthless’ Belgian Grand Prix win

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Oscar Piastri is putting himself in a very strong position to become a Formula 1 world champion.

With 11 race weekends remaining, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri currently leads the drivers’ championship by 16 points.

The Belgian Grand Prix looked like the perfect opportunity for his teammate Lando Norris to reduce that deficit after a fantastic pole position lap.

However, the torrential rain that fell at Spa led to a rolling start, and by the time Piastri and Norris had reached the end of the Kemmel Straight, the Australian had taken the lead.

Piastri forced Norris into a small mistake at the race start, with the 25-year-old unable to go full throttle up Eau Rouge, losing him too much momentum to retain the lead.

The crucial moment in the race was Piastri stopping a lap earlier than Norris, and the pair choosing to change onto different dry tyre compounds.

Piastri had to manage his medium tyres, while Norris had the capacity to push more on the harder compound.

However, several small errors cost Norris the chance of getting into his DRS zone during the final moments of the race.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend

Damon Hill makes Oscar Piastri comparison to Alain Prost at the Belgian Grand Prix

Damon Hill was commentating on the race for BBC Sport before featuring on the Chequered Flag Podcast.

Reflecting on the Australian driver’s eighth career Grand Prix victory, he said: “What do we get with Oscar Piastri? He is as cool as a cucumber. He’s neither here nor there, whether he wins or loses.

“You don’t see much. I mean obviously, it’s in there. There’s the racer instinct that is angry about things.

“He was a bit cross about, he felt losing out at Silverstone with the penalty that he had.

“So, he’s a tough competitor, but he keeps himself on an even keel, and he didn’t leap around too much when he got out of the car at the end.

“He was very happy. He was shaking his fist in approval and excitement at having won, but, he’s not whooping and hollering on the radio. Like, we’ve heard some drivers making a lot of noise.

“I think he is building himself a championship here in a way that I don’t see Lando doing. Lando seems to be up and down. It’s snakes and ladders with him; it’s still a close gap, but he needed to win this one. He cannot keep Oscar in his box at all.”

Podcast host Harry Benjamin pointed out that Piastri’s tyre management has significantly improved this season, and Hill continued: “And this is Prost like, this is what Prost could do.

“Prost could feel every little thing. He could conserve things if he needed to, conserve tyres. He’s able to feel all that stuff.

“And I think that in that regard, I think the comparison is apt between Prost and Oscar. But he’s also ruthless and decisive when it comes to overtaking.”

READ MORE: All to know about Alain Prost including Ayrton Senna rivalry and failed F1 team

Alain Prost reveals the role he played in Oscar Piastri’s racing career

Piastri might be the favourite to win the drivers’ championship at this stage, but he’s still got a long way to go to match Alain Prost’s F1 record.

The Frenchman won four titles, stood on the top step of the podium 51 times and became a team owner after retiring following nearly 200 Grand Prix starts.

Prost has had a long association with Renault over the years, which is where his role in Piastri’s career comes into play.

As a youngster, Prost told Renault to sign Piastri as a junior driver as he worked his way up the ranks of single-seater racing.

Unfortunately, the French team never got the chance to hand Piastri a chance in F1, with McLaren pinching him to replace Daniel Ricciardo.

Prost has seen the similarities between Piastri and himself, and now Hill has added his thoughts on the matter, too.