Martin Brundle praises ‘pretty smart move’ from F1 team to hire ‘very brave’ driver

Follow us on Google Discover

Martin Brundle has praised the decision from McLaren to switch Daniel Ricciardo for Oscar Piastri ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Brandle was answering fan’s questions on the Sky Sports F1 website.

There has been a distinct lack of movement in the driver market in 2023, with nearly every driver who started the season retaining their place on the grid.

The only exception is Nyck de Vries who was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo after just ten races this year.

The Australian was on the hunt for a way back into the sport and began driving for AlphaTauri in Hungary – although he missed five Grand Prix due to a broken hand.

Last year saw a lot more movement between teams and Ricciardo was one of the unfortunate drivers alongside the likes of Mick Schumacher to lose out.

However, Martin Brundle has praised the decision for McLaren to bring in Oscar Piastri from Alpine.

There were risks involved given the youngster had only ever tested an F1 car without taking part in a race.

It’s safe to say Piastri has repaid that faith, with Brundle only recently describing the way he plays as ‘very brave’ on commentary duty.

Brundle praises McLaren’s decision to hire Piastri

Speaking about the 22-year-old, Brundle said: “You have to say McLaren replaced him with Piastri, at some cost and pain, and that proved to be a pretty smart move, didn’t it?”

The aim for Piastri now is how he builds on such a successful rookie season.

The Australian will be relying on McLaren delivering a strong car for 2024 and he’ll be encouraged by the progress the team made during this year.

He’s also got one of the fastest drivers on the grid competing alongside him in the team.

Lando Norris may not have won a Formula 1 race in his career, but the string of podiums he secured in the second half of the year shows how fast he really is.

Piastri appears to be the next driver coming through the ranks that could potentially reach that level.

So much of being in Formula 1 is being in the right place at the right time and McLaren and Piastri will both be glad as Brundle suggests that they made the move last year.

Alpine will hope they don’t regret losing the Australian in the future, even after he outscored both of their more experienced drivers in 2023.