Australian drivers in F1 have always been a rarity. Still, in the past few decades, few drivers from the Land Down Under have made a good name for themselves at the pinnacle of motorsport. Daniel Ricciardo can easily top that list, besides Mark Webber and 1980 champion Alan Jones. While the Honey Badger has not won a world championship, his record in F1 is still decent and he has given some memorable moments to Aussie F1 fans. Now, that the 34-year-old is heading toward the twilight of his career, he is passing the torch to his younger countryman, Oscar Piastri.
Speaking ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at the Honda Australia HQ, Ricciardo expressed some good thoughts about the future talent from his country. As quoted by 24ssports.com, Ricciardo said, “Having Oscar [Piastri] as the next generation behind me inspires his generation and those behind him. For me, it was Mark Webber.”
The #3 driver mentioned how Aussie children can look up to drivers like Webber, him, and Piastri to follow their motorsport aspirations. He added, “Maybe a 12-year-old child can’t relate to me as much as he does to Oscar. He’s the next inspiration for them and hopefully this cycle continues”.
Ricciardo returned to F1 midway through the 2023 season, replacing Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri (now Visa Cash App RB). Since then, Ricciardo has expressed a wish to conclude his career at his former team, Red Bull, where he got seven of his eight race wins.
However, uncertainty still remains as to whether Ricciardo can make his latest wish a reality. Therefore, Piastri, who has a bright future courtesy of his stellar junior record and long-term security at McLaren, may become the torchbearer for Australia in F1.
Can Oscar Piastri end the F1 championship hiatus for Australia?
To date, only two Australian drivers have won the F1 world championship – Jack Brabham and Alan Jones. Brabham raced in the 1950s and 1960s and won three championships (1959, 1960, and 1966). Post him, only Jones won the title in 1980, and since then the Australian flag has rarely flown atop the F1 summit.
Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo have been the flagbearers from Down Under in F1 since the 2000s. Moreover, they are the only two drivers to have won Grands Prix besides Jones and Brabham. Webber came quite close to winning the championship in 2010 but lost it at the finale to his Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo has not had the greatest of career trajectories as he has rarely found himself at the right team to even mount a championship challenge. Oscar Piastri may hope to defy these tough odds and break the trend for Australian drivers in F1.
The 22-year-old has shown immense promise with his rookie season in 2023. He won the sprint race at the Qatar GP and claimed a couple of podiums as well after McLaren improved their car to be the second-best in the field.
In a settled outfit at Woking, Piastri is hoping to rise with them and get to winning ways soon. Given there is already a lot of buzz around him, the #81 driver has handled the pressure well and delivered on expectations.
However, can he deliver when put in a championship fight against the likes of Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton? Only time will tell. For now, it seems like Piastri has the potential to end Australia’s hiatus for the F1 championship.
