Damon Hill says McLaren star Oscar Piastri reminds him of three-time F1 world champion

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McLaren star Oscar Piastri has gone into the summer break as one of the most in-form drivers on the Formula 1 grid.

Oscar Piastri’s win at the Hungarian Grand Prix was fantastic, overtaking teammate Lando Norris going into the opening corner and eventually taking the chequered flag after a clumsy McLaren pit strategy.

Anyone who had any complaints about how Piastri took victory at the Hungaroring over Norris would have been left impressed by his run at Spa where one small mistake during his last pit stop potentially cost him back-to-back wins.

Piastri’s performances this season have attracted a huge amount of praise from up and down the paddock.

New Renault advisor Flavio Briatore believes Piastri is a future world champion based on his first 36 Formula 1 races.

Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, another previous world champion Damon Hill was equally complimentary about the young Australian.

Piastri will be hoping to become the third world champion from Australia after Jack Brabham and Alan Jones.

However, Hill believes that Piastri is much more similar to three-time F1 champion Jackie Stewart.

The 85-year-old only took part in 100 races but achieved 27 wins and 43 podiums in that time.

Piastri has a long way to go to match that record, but his demeanour is very similar to that of the Scotsman.

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Damon Hill compares Oscar Piastri to three-time champion Jackie Stewart

Talking about the 23-year-old, Hill said: “Oscar is definitely showing himself over time over this second season now in Formula One.

“He’s showing himself to be a gradual learner. He’s clearly got talent, but he’s also learning every race and he’s building bit by bit.

“He’s getting stronger and better and better. The race win, of course, is a huge boost to his confidence and self-esteem and also the effect on others around him because of the fact that you can no longer look at him as hopeful.

“He’s a guy, he’s a Grand Prix winner and potentially a world champion. He’s got that calmness, a coolness inside him an inner coolness. I mean, I don’t know what’s going on inside there, but he seems pretty calm to me.

“He doesn’t seem like he’s over-excited by anything or over-upset by anything and I think that’s a very good state of mind.

“I mean, if I was to compare someone in our sport who was like that, you’d have to say the person that springs to mind immediately would be somebody like Jackie Stewart who never allowed emotion to overrule him and I think that’s a really good state of mind to be in as a driver.”

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Oscar Piastri won his first Formula 1 Grand Prix with an injury

The strain on a Formula 1 driver during a race weekend is extraordinary and even when fully fit, drivers are typically working under extreme forces.

Piastri shared during the summer break that he had been driving with an injury that would have made racing at the limit extremely difficult.

It makes his victory in Hungary even more remarkable and he showed no signs of weakness at Spa.

Alongside Norris, McLaren will be determined to win the Constructors’ Championship this year as they continue to try and capitalise on Sergio Perez’s issues at Red Bull.

In the short term, Piastri will simply want to continue accumulating podium finishes and race wins.

However, it won’t be long before he’s trying to emulate the great Jackie Stewart and attempting to add a first world championship to his collection of silverware.