Testing’s wrapped up. A new season is on the horizon. With an idea of how things are going to line up, drivers are ready to face their fate. Further, after the mega shakeup, the grid welcomes new talent to the grid and some old ones. In this pack, Oscar Piastri lines up with McLaren to etch his name in F1 history books.
However, it may not be an ideal rookie season for the F2 champion. With McLaren seemingly falling further back on the grid, Piastri’s first impression as an F1 driver might not be what he expected. Even F1 pundits are worried the newly initiated Papaya driver’s talents will be wasted at McLaren.
Oscar Piastri the next Max Verstappen?
F1 savant Karun Chandhok unravels the gleaming career Piastri brings to the table. Having had conversations with the Aussie’s engineers in the feeder series, Chandhok reveals they put him in the same league as the top 2 drivers on the grid- Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
“He was better than Leclerc when they had Leclerc in Prema.” The engineers also added, “he was the best young talent to come through junior formula since Max Verstappen.”
Chandhok concludes by hoping everything falls into place for the generational talent scouted by McLaren.
Piastri has nothing to prove
Despite an excellent reputation and all the hype around his name, Piastri enters his rookie season with a level head. After having two teams fight over him, he said, “I don’t think there’s really any urge to try and prove stuff to people.”
Confident and ready, Piastri relies on his performance to do the talking. Holding his championships close to his chest, a token of his valor. When asked about what he looks forward to in his season, it was not wins or an over-ambitious title claim. Instead, Piastri answered, “I’ve just got to go out and enjoy being an F1 driver, because it’s a pretty cool experience, and I’m just excited to go to go racing again. That’s what I’m looking forward to most.”
Focused on the process, rather than the outcome would be a good way to start his career in F1. Further, having learned the intricate BTS of a team’s clockwork for a year with Alpine, maybe the 21-year-old can provide some fresh insight to the struggling orange team. With a talent like Lando Norris with him, counting Piastri out of the big league would only be foolish.
