Oscar Piastri, the Australian rookie driver for McLaren, delivered an outstanding performance in Suzuka, securing himself a front-row start for the Japanese Grand Prix. This achievement was a milestone in Piastri’s Formula 1 career. To watch her son’s success live in Suzuka, Piastri’s mother Nicole has taken to social media to ask fans for help for flights that cost less than $750.
Anyone got a cheap flight to Japan?
— Nicole Piastri (@NicolePiastri) September 23, 2023
Piastri’s fantastic performance at Suzuka put him in a good position to compete with the Red Bull team at the start of the race. McLaren’s improved pace and recent success have given Piastri a good opportunity to challenge the Red Bull driver after the lights go out in Suzuka. The young Australian has proven to be a formidable driver this season despite being a rookie, with McLaren showing faith in him following his contract extension.
After Piastri’s brilliant P2 in qualifying in Suzuka, team CEO Zak Brown even offered to fly him mom out to Japan to witness her son perform life.
Oscar Piastri’s performance and McLaren’s progress
Oscar Piastri has performed exceptionally well this season, making McLaren very happy. The team’s pace improved drastically, posing a challenge for Red Bull. Piastri’s performance at the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying was particularly interesting, because he outqualified Lando Norris. This is the first time he will start an F1 race from the front row.
Oscar Piastri is the first driver in his #F1 rookie season to put his car on the front row of a Grand Prix since Nico Hulkenberg at Brazil in 2010! 🤯#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/sWvIloZODV
— Autosport (@autosport) September 23, 2023
McLaren have expressed great satisfaction with Piastri’s performance. The pace of the team has improved considerably after they had a slow start to the campaign, and Oscar Piastri has heavily contributed to the results.
Although Red Bull seems to have bounced back after Singapore, should anything go wrong for the team, Piastri might even have the opportunity to secure his first win in his rookie season.
McLaren’s Turnaround this season
McLaren had a challenging start to the 2023 season. The team, which had briefly revived its fortunes across 2020-21, slipped to fifth place under new regulations last year and began 2023 in disastrous fashion. After the first two races, they were one of only two teams, along with AlphaTauri, yet to score a point
However, as the season progressed, McLaren managed to turn their fortunes around. The most improved car during the first half of the 2023 season was the McLaren MCL60. They started slowly, but are now competing for the podium places in almost every race. Lando Norris, like Oscar Piastri has done a tremendous job. Despite the team’s early struggles, Norris has managed to reach many highs.
Hello, hello. P3 😁 pic.twitter.com/JyUy0ScM7I
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) September 23, 2023
In the 2023 drivers standings, Norris currently sits 8th with 97 points. He has a string of impressive finishes, including second place at the British-Hungarian Grand Prix 67. Despite a rough start to the season, Norris’ performance has been a bright spot for McLaren.