Oscar Piastri getting hired by McLaren for the 2023 season was controversial. As the Australian race driver was earlier associated with Alpine, the French team expected him to serve them.
But the 2021 F2 champion decided to jump ship and replace his compatriot Daniel Ricciardo. Giving a very young lineup to McLaren. Both drivers- Piastri and Lando Norris, aren’t even over 25. So, it shows they do lack experience in the setup.
Though Norris has already raced in four seasons, Piastri’s inclusion only takes the team’s overall maturity. Considering there were other options in the market, like Pierre Gasly, whose move to Alpine shows that he was available, or Mick Schumacher, now without a drive, was obviously available.
So among all the drivers, why only Piastri was chosen? He is yet to prove his calibre in an F1 car, and he gets his first job in the second most successful F1 team. There must be a strong reason.
Also read: McLaren boss says Daniel Ricciardo can return to them in future
Why Oscar Piastri makes sense for McLaren?
Mclaren boss Zak Brown was asked why he chose a rookie to replace a veteran driver like Ricciardo, who has won over eight races in his career. Brown tries to make sense of his answer.
“We think Oscar [Piastri] is going to be a sensation racing driver. If you look at his career to date, he has won several championships in his first year, which always tells you a driver is special,” said Brown.
one year ago today oscar piastri became the 2021 f2 champion! pic.twitter.com/Jn7A9qazko
— amber (@marydontmind) December 11, 2022
The McLaren doyen further praises Piastri’s mental approach towards the sport. He also considers Norris to have a considerable amount of experience and feels it’s the right blend of experience and youth in the team.
Weakening of McLaren?
This month, McLaren became a part of something never seen before shuffling of team principals. As Fred Vasseur left Sauber to become the team principal of Ferrari to replace Mattia Binotto, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl left Woking to be at Sauber.
The move is motivated by Audi’s new links with Sauber ahead of their 2026 entry in F1. Seidl has been announced as their CEO. But surely it makes a huge dent in McLaren.
However, the British team soon announced Andrea Stella becoming their new leader. But Seidl’s sudden exit could bring shockwaves to Mclaren, which could be hard to deal with, at least in 2023.
