“He’s Like a Sponge”: Mark Webber on What Makes Oscar Piastri a Special Talent

Just over a year into his F1 career, Oscar Piastri is already establishing himself as one of the best. Mark Webber, who has been supporting Piastri for a long time, thinks it is because of his ability to constantly learn and improve.

“He’s just like a sponge,” Webber said in a video posted on Australian GP’s YouTube.

The former Red Bull driver then spoke about how Piastri has improved at simulator duties and press commitments, while also becoming more mature since making his F1 debut in 2023.

“He’s a highly driven young lad…Which at that age, I certainly wasn’t,” Webber added. “So, that’s another string in his bow which he has over me.” Webber also stated that F1 has changed a lot over the years. He feels drivers need “different benchmark to win”, which is something Piastri has.

Mark Webber shared his thoughts with us about the very special talent that is Oscar Piastri… #F1 pic.twitter.com/PaZEldP29o

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) August 9, 2024

The Melbourne-born driver had an impressive rookie season in 2023, finishing in the top three twice and taking a sprint race win under his belt. This year, however, the 23-year-old has kicked things up a notch.

He became a race-winner thanks to his Hungarian GP victory, and with 10 races to go, he is in a great position to match and even beat his McLaren teammate.

Piastri to finish above Lando Norris?

Norris was outperforming Piastri for the first few races this season, but the Aussie started getting better and better as the season progressed.

Piastri is just 32 points behind Norris in the championship standings, and with 10 races left, it is a gap he can easily overturn. “I’m going to go bold and say Oscar second and Lando third,” Karun Chandhok revealed on the Fast and the Curious podcast.

Chandhok feels that Piastri is at the same level as Norris. In the last eight rounds leading up to the summer break, he outscored the Bristol-born driver by 10 points, which is extraordinary because Norris is considered a championship contender.