Oscar Piastri has been extremely impressive in his debut season. Starting the season with a DNF in Bahrain, the rookie now has two podium finishes in Qatar and Japan, including a win at the Qatar GP sprint. It’s because of his contribution that McLaren has accomplished a significant turnaround in mid-season. Notably, Piastri is only the second driver this year to beat Red Bull in any race, prompting analogies to Lewis Hamilton’s early career successes.
The Australian’s 83 points this season have put him on the verge of breaking Lewis Hamilton’s astounding first-year total of 109 points. Additionally, Piastri has achieved a milestone similar to Hamilton. The seven-time champion was the last driver to attain multiple podium finishes in his inaugural Formula 1 season in 2007.
Piastri’s remarkable on-track abilities have not only guaranteed his position, keeping him with the working base until 2026, but have also allowed him to outperform his teammate, Lando Norris, occasionally. Besides, the rookie’s win at the Qatar GP sprint has sparked debate throughout the F1 community about the significance of his debut season. With some thinking of Piastri as a future title contender, Nico Rosberg, in his latest SkysportsF1 interview, has cautioned skepticism over early evaluations.
Nico Rosberg calls for Oscar Piastri’s development before crowning him a champion
During the live-streaming session with Matt Baker on the SkysportsF1 podcast, Nico Rosberg responded to a tweet from Caroline. The query concerned Oscar Piastri’s genuine possibility of becoming a world champion. While responding immediately, the 2016 world champion stressed that it was too early to declare Piastri a probable champion. Instead, he predicted that the rookie may win the race multiple times. The German later admitted that Piastri is still working and has some shortcomings, which is natural for rookies.
Later, the former Mercedes driver drew parallels between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, pointing out that the Australian is contending against one of the strongest drivers in the field, his teammate Norris. The German additionally said that he hasn’t seen enough evidence of Piastri easily defeating Lando Norris throughout the season. He said, ” It’s normal for rookies to struggle in some different areas and he’s up against one of the best out there, which is Lando Norris, and I haven’t yet seen that, that you could definitely beat Land over the whole season.”
In the end, Rosberg gave perspective on Piastri’s future trajectory in the extremely competitive Formula 1 landscape. He believes Piastri needs more time and experience before being considered a championship candidate. He concluded, ” So we need to give him some more time, but let’s start with multiple races winner.”
While Nico Rosberg has advised patience in crowning Piastri as champion, the young rookie, inspired by individuals like Lewis Hamilton, has already laid out his ambitious 18-year plan in the world of motorsports.
Oscar Piastri envisions a career akin to Lewis Hamilton’s
Lewis Hamilton is likely to compete in Formula One into his 40s following signing a new contract with Mercedes. Briton’s career has influenced many, and one such individual is Oscar Piastri, who aims to have a career as long as Hamilton’s.
The first driver since Lewis Hamilton to get more than one podium in their first #F1 season…
👏 @OscarPiastri 👏 pic.twitter.com/3Eb57Soadp
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) October 15, 2023
In one of his interviews with Speedweek, the rookie emphasized the fact that to reach the age and experience of Hamilton, he still has 18 years. He said, “ I’ve got 18 years until I get there. If I’m still driving race cars and loving what I’m doing at 40 years old, I think that’s a pretty good 18 years of my life well spent.”
Later, while discussing the drive to take part in sports, he remarked both motorists enjoy going to extremes. He added, ” When you’ve had the amount of success that Lewis has had, I can imagine why he loves it so much, and I think we all start out racing because we love it.”
With only five races remaining in the season, the Australian rookie’s finest opportunity is to amass enough points to reach the coveted 110-point mark, which would secure a world record to his name.
