The start of Oscar Piastri‘s life as a McLaren driver was full of issues and controversies. Following a troublesome phase regarding a contract with Alpine, the Aussie driver made his way to Woking, where he began his stint by driving an underwhelming car. Looking back at the same, the 22-year-old now feels being at a disadvantage in the early races of 2023 ended up benefitting him.
Speaking to Lissie Mackintosh at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC), Piastri talked about his debut car in F1, and whether it was a good car to learn the equipment. Not wanting to deem the first iteration of the MCL60 “a good car,” the Aussie driver detailed how problems within the team took the pressure off of him.
| oscar piastri and lissie mackintosh in the paddock at the dutch gp!
a lovely duo we hope to see more of pic.twitter.com/44WHxCiCH5
— Piastri Updates (@PiastriNews) August 24, 2023
Piastri failed to see the chequered flag in his debut race in 2023, as he DNFed the race. In the next four races, only one point finish came for the #81 driver. However, the reason for his issues was more due to an underwhelming car rather than his driving skills, which “took a little bit of pressure off me and maybe put more pressure on the team.”
Additionally, the 22-year-old also talked about comparisons with his teammate Lando Norris, given the reputation he was bringing over from F2. The Melbourne native said he knew comparisons would be drawn between him and his teammate, regardless of whether the car was the quickest or the slowest.
Thus, the poor performance of the car didn’t lower the pressure on him all that much, because of the comparisons. However, nothing could have prepared the now 22-year-old driver for what happened in Bahrain last year.
A DNF on debut did not leave Piastri in the best mood
Life as a McLaren driver did not go off to the best of starts for Piastri, who had a disastrous debut in 2023 in Bahrain. He was called into the pits by his team after starting P18 to work on an issue. After the team changed the steering wheel of his car, the MCL60 failed to restart, ending Piastri’s race on Lap 14.
Bahrain: mclaren
Oscar Piastri with an electrical DNF and Lando Norris having to make 6? pit stops pic.twitter.com/UdSGcB7hKz
— Michael Albright (@malbright81) October 29, 2023
Revisiting the moment while speaking with Mackintosh, the Australian revealed that he wasn’t in a great mood after having to jump out of the car mid-race. However, he added the team already knew that things would be more difficult than their previous campaigns. Thus, the drivers knew not to get their hopes up high.
Even a rookie Piastri knew what to expect from the car and the race, and it was all about doing the best he could. Having a lot to learn, the then-rookie driver showed signs of being a great driver as he made up three positions from P18 before having to retire.
