Despite proving his mettle in the junior categories, F1 caught Oscar Piastri by surprise. However, the swiftness with which he dealt with the pressure and delivered right from the word ‘Go’ has left many impressed. This adaptability surely must have played a part in landing him the McLaren contract extension until 2026.
Apart from adaptability, the Aussie driver has shown tremendous ability to stay calm under pressure. He’s had his fair share of scuffles on the track but never did he come out flustered. The crashes with Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton are a testament to that fact. Team boss, Andrea Stella, however, has gauged another unique ability in his rookie driver that no other driver but Fernando Alonso possesses.
Speaking with DAZN recently, Stella said, “When we talk about being the most complete, I definitely think of Fernando Alonso. He basically has no weaknesses. I think this makes him unique. He is not the best at many things, but he is very strong at all of them.”
“I think in Oscar I see his powerful mind. He is definitely like Fernando. You can do math calculations while driving.”, claimed Stella.
Stella is not the only McLaren official who has showered praise on Oscar. In the past, Zak Brown has gone as far as dubbing him ‘championship-worthy’. Add to that the compliments he’s time and again received from his senior teammate, Lando Norris. Norris recently lauded Piastri for pushing him to deliver better performances in a season he’s dubbed best so far for himself.
Oscar Piastri reveals how he converted nervy jitters into confidence
Making a switch from junior categories to F1 is no mean feat. However, for Oscar Piastri, it was a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. His previous successful campaigns made him one of the most sought-after young drivers. But that brought with itself a mountain of pressure. Top that with the controversial way he entered F1 and that burden grows further.
Unlike the Max Verstappens of the world who started karting as early as 4 years of age, the Australian driver got his first taste of karting at 10. However, it was a quick realization that he belonged. After early success, he continued the magical run with his F3 stint in 2020 when he won the championship. Carrying the form next year to F2, Piastri once again beat all odds to win the championship in his very first season. That was enough to earn him a seat as a test driver for Alpine in 2022.
The 22-year-old driver has created enough buzz in the F1 paddock. Some even saw his one year away from the track as a disservice to his talent. But driving in F2 and driving in F1 are very different ball games. As per the man himself, the pace, the sheer size of the car, and the instant need to adapt caught him by surprise.
But what was more intimidating was the lifestyle of an F1 driver. One thing that bothers Oscar more is the constant travel and the commitments with sponsors. Then what was it that gave him the confidence that he was made for F1?
In a recent interview with Formula1.com, he revealed, “In some ways, at the start anyway, seeing how I fared was a bit of a measuring stick for myself. That’s probably been the thing that’s given me the confidence and then the results later in the year as well. But also, just simply knowing that I can mix it with these guys and now that I’m here with McLaren for another three years at least, all of those things help your confidence.”
He also hailed Norris for being the perfect benchmark that helped him make a fair assessment of his performance. Not only has their partnership helped them both mutually but also the team that values their feedback which, as per Stella, is often identical.
