Oscar Piastri names the ‘one thing’ he couldn’t ‘prepare for’ before joining McLaren

Follow us on Google Discover

Oscar Piastri is emerging as Formula 1’s next superstar. He scored his first Grand Prix victory in Hungary in July and then added another in Azerbaijan just four races later.

Piastri’s maiden win was somewhat overshadowed by the controversy surrounding McLaren’s team orders. Lando Norris argued with his engineers over the radio after an instruction to let the Australian, deemed the rightful victor, past in the final stint.

But there was nothing to diminish the satisfaction of his superb Baku triumph. Piastri executed one of the best overtaking moves of the season to take the lead from Charles Leclerc, braking at the last possible moment on the inside of turn one, and then expertly fended off his DRS-enhanced attacks.

With seven podiums to his name this season, the 23-year-old sits fourth in the drivers’ championship. Talk of a potential title charge quickly faded, and he may now have to move aside for Norris, Max Verstappen’s chief challenger, on occasion.

Predictably, it took Piastri around 18 months or so to start matching Norris. The British driver scored more than double the points of his rookie teammate in 2023 (205 vs 97).

After the Spanish GP in June, where he came home a lowly seventh, he was 63 points behind Norris. But he’s finished in the top four at every race since, and if he can start 2025 at this level, he could conceivably battle his partner for the championship.

Oscar Piastri wasn’t ready to be ‘famous’ in Formula 1

Piastri had to wait a year between winning Formula 2 and graduating to F1. He watched on from the garage as Alpine’s reserve driver.

After Fernando Alonso moved to Aston Martin, Alpine publicly announced the hiring of Piastri, only for the youngster to remarkably declare that no such agreement was in place. After a legal battle, McLaren secured his services.

Speaking to the team’s official website, he admitted it took time to adjust to the spotlight at Woking. Piastri has previously said the 2023 British GP changed his life, having just missed out on a maiden podium due to a poorly timed safety car.

He said: “That’s one thing you can’t really prepare for: being somewhat famous. That probably took me the longest to get used to, but my year as a Reserve Driver gave me a decent insight into what it would be like, and I feel I adjusted to it relatively quickly.”

Otmar Szafnauer knew Alpine were ‘untrustworthy’ after what happened with Oscar Piastri

Guenther Steiner has credited Mark Webber for Piastri’s success early in his F1 career. The former Red Bull driver acts as his compatriot’s manager and his vast experience has been of great value.

Had he joined Alpine, his CV would look very different at this point. The Enstone outfit were a solid midfield competitor last year, scoring 120 points and a couple of podiums to take sixth place in the constructors’.

But an exodus of senior personnel seemed to take its toll as they slipped the foot of the field at the start of 2024. While they have recovered some performance, they still only have 13 points this year.

Former team principal Otmar Szafnauer knew Alpine were ‘untrustworthy’ after they made him a scapegoat in the midst of their McLaren battle. Piastri will be grateful for his decision every day, though strong performances in the thick of the midfield could have earned him a promotion eventually.