Ralf Schumacher says Oscar Piastri has become less ‘authentic’ after what he heard on McLaren radio

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Oscar Piastri is on course to become Formula 1 world champion in just his third season. Ralf Schumacher has seen him change considerably since he made his debut in 2023.

Piastri is 31 points clear of Lando Norris with eight rounds remaining. His teammate’s retirement at the Dutch GP has put him in control of the title fight.

The Australian is now the strong favourite to end McLaren’s 17-year drivers’ championship drought, stretching back to Lewis Hamilton in 2008. Hamilton lifted the trophy in his second season, but Max Verstappen had to wait until his seventh year.

It’s easy to overlook Piastri’s inexperience given the accomplished nature of his performances. Excluding this year’s rookie intake, he has the fewest race starts with 62.

Ralf Schumacher says Oscar Piastri has ‘learned politics’ at McLaren

Speaking on the Formel1.de YouTube channel, Ralf Schumacher expressed his admiration for both McLaren drivers. They each have ‘their hearts in the right place’.

Norris, though, is ‘the more open’ of the two. Having listened to Piastri’s radio messages and interviews, Schumacher says he’s more political.

Success has somewhat changed him, but that’s perhaps to be expected. Piastri is advised by compatriot Mark Webber, who won nine races and started 215 Grands Prix.

By expressing initial misgivings on the radio when instructed to let Norris through at Monza, Piastri gave himself a ‘card to play’. Webber is used to team-order controversies after his time alongside Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull.

“Both have their hearts in the right place,” said Schumacher. “Lando is the more open type, even in the paddock.

“Oscar is open in his own way, but he also knows what he wants. He’s already learned politics. He’s implementing it too – you can tell from his radio messages, you can tell from his statements.

“He’s pretty clever when it comes to that. He’s perhaps not as authentic as he was in the beginning, but that’s part of being so young, so successful and having the chance to become world champion.”

The F1 paddock agrees on the Lando Norris vs Oscar Piastri title fight

Robert Doornbos suggested that Piastri is not a ‘pure racer’ like Max Verstappen because the Red Bull driver, in his opinion, would never have given up a place to his teammate just because of a slow pit stop.

But Piastri has always adhered to McLaren’s team orders because he buys into Andrea Stella’s collective ethic. He also knows he’ll need to keep the team on side going forward.

Many in the paddock have already ‘written off’ Norris, even though the gap would appear far from insurmountable. Rather than being a criticism of the British driver, that reflects how highly-rated Piastri is.

The 2023 signing has finished in the top four in 37 out of 38 competitive sessions so far this season. If he finishes the next four races, he’ll tie Lewis Hamilton’s all-time record (48).