While Oscar Piastri was pursuing his dreams of getting to Formula 1, the young Australian spent 4 years of schooling in the United Kingdom. Naturally, when Piastri made an appearance on the eff won with DRS podcast, host Dax Shepard asked him if his ‘Aussie charm’ made it easier for him to settle down.
While talking about this particular ‘Aussie charm’ Piastri revealed, “It definitely adds an element of interest from people, that’s for sure!” Shepard was curious to know this about Piastri’s schooling the in UK given that he was also a racing driver at the time.
“Being Australian, being a racing driver. At the same time, I was away racing so much that, you know, some people were kinda like ‘does he even go to the school,'” added the McLaren driver. This did help him keep himself low-key during his 4 years at his British boarding school.
Despite this, Piastri did express his gratitude towards the years he spent there. According to him, his stint away at a boarding school that was so far away from home taught him some really important life lessons.
How Oscar Piastri’s British schooling prepared him for life in Formula 1
As a young kid who moved to the UK to pursue his dreams, being at boarding school was like a blessing in disguise for Oscar Piastri. He explained that because he was confined to people on the same campus, he was pretty much always around his friends.
When he made that big move up to Formula 1, the young Australian quickly realized that the paddock was a cutthroat business. Hence, the relationships he forged meant a lot to him as he had people around him whom he could rely on.
During his time in the UK, Piastri tried his hand at the Formula 4 UAE Championship, British F4 and the Formula Renault Eurocup. In all his time in these series, the young Australian showcased his exquisite driving skills. He even went on to win the Formula Renault Eurocup championship in 2019.
After his short stint in the UK running his junior racing career, it didn’t take long for him to make it into the big leagues. Piastri won the Formula 2 championship in 2021, and just a year later, he was announced as a McLaren driver for the 2023 F1 season.
