In just his second F1 season, Oscar Piastri is being compared to some of the biggest legends in the sport’s history, including four-time World Champion Alain Prost, with whom the Aussie has noticed some similarities.
Prost won three of his four world championships at McLaren and the last one with Williams in 1993. Piastri hasn’t reached anywhere near those numbers yet, but with two race wins already under his belt, many have predicted a bright future for the Melbourne-born driver.
Piastri considers himself honored to be compared to someone like Prost. In an interview with AMuS, he said, “It’s an equation that honors me. Especially since Alain Prost is one of the most successful drivers in our sport.”
I get asked this quite a lot, and I actually don’t have a specific Motorsport hero. Prost and Senna were both amazing drivers with very different styles, and I look to Danny Ric as a great role model on and off the track. Hamilton is very hard to look past too. #AskOscarF3 https://t.co/SgHnD5KQYy
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) September 19, 2020
Piastri went on to admit that he has spotted similarities between himself and Prost. “Of course I was not yet born when he was driving… But from what I hear and read about him, I certainly see some similarities between us.”
The 23-year-old went on to label Prost’s driving style smooth and precise, something he also sees in himself. While Piastri may not have seen Prost drive, he has had a fair share of interaction with the French racing icon.
Piastri reveals interactions with Prost
Until 2021, Prost was an advisor at Alpine (formerly Renault). Piastri, who was a junior belonging to the Enstone-based outfit, got several opportunities to interact with him.
“I spoke to him a few times when I was still with Alpine,” he revealed. “It was very interesting to talk to him and he certainly gave me some tips.”
Unfortunately, Piastri did not have much time with Prost on the same team. In 2022, Prost departed from Alpine, and the Aussie followed suit later that year, opting to join McLaren. It turned out to be the right move, as Alpine is currently struggling to score points, while McLaren leads the World Championship standings.
