In an interview with Prema Racing’s YouTube channel, Oscar Piastri once spoke about the race that changed the course of his life. It was from 2014, and his success in the same convinced his father Chris to let him pursue a career in racing.
At just 13 years old, Piastri competed in the X30 World Finals at Le Mans in France, finishing third overall. This marked his first international race podium and was a significant achievement. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, this success also boosted his father’s confidence, leading him to believe it was time for Piastri to pursue racing in Europe.
“It was kind of my dad’s indicator whether we should pursue Europe more seriously,” the Melbourne-born driver said.
Just over a year later, Piastri moved to the UK, where he began racing for Ricky Flynn Motorsport. Despite his promising career, he was not labeled a ‘generational talent’ in karting, with his best finish being P6 in the World Championship.
A teenage Piastri had to face a lot of challenges, but the biggest of them was coping with resettlement. For the first seven months in the UK, he was still attending his school in Australia via online classes. Realizing that it wasn’t sustainable in the long run, Piastri’s parents decided it was best to send him to a boarding school.
He faced many challenges and worked hard to improve his racing skills each year. However, his sacrifices paid off. Looking at his success today, Piastri would be more than happy that his father chose to invest in his future by sending him to Europe.
Piastri now stands as one of F1’s most promising drivers.
Piastri gave the interview with Prema over two years ago, unaware that he would one day be driving for one of F1’s biggest teams. After joining McLaren in 2023, he delivered one of the most impressive rookie seasons since Lewis Hamilton in 2007. The following year, he stepped up his performance even further, with many now labeling him as a future World champion.
It’s never easy to go up against an established team-mate in your rookie season, but Oscar Piastri kept pace with Lando Norris and made the most of a mid-season surge in performance at McLaren, leaving no doubt that he is the 2023 FIA Rookie of the Year. pic.twitter.com/dozAZlib4a
— FIA (@fia) December 8, 2023
Showcasing impressive skills and maturity, the 23-year-old has broken into the top four in the championship standings. With two race wins under his belt, he is just 32 points behind teammate Lando Norris.
While world title ambitions may be a stretch for Piastri this season, they are still mathematically possible. However, with a fresh start and a fast car in 2025, he could be closer to realizing that dream.
