While Oscar Piastri never had the privilege of belonging to a multi-billionaire family, he did not have to struggle during his childhood either. Money is an important factor for a young driver looking to make it into F1, and thankfully, Piastri didn’t face any difficulty on that front. The McLaren star received monetary support from his father’s million-dollar company HP Tuners, during his junior racing ventures.
Piastri‘s father Chris Piastri is the founder and owner of HP Tuners. The company provides tuning and data acquisition solutions to car enthusiasts, or professionals in the automobile industry. Based in Illinois in the US, they have a big worldwide reach, and generated a revenue of $8 million last year as per Rocket Reach.
HP Turners helped Oscar Piastri get into F1 eventually. Getting there is costly, and the expenses start right from the very get go of one’s journey to the pinnacle of motorsports.
HP Tuners first sponsored Piastri when he was in F4 in 2016. From there on, he sported the company’s logo on his car in every junior category all the way up to F2. The money that the company must have spent on Oscar Piastri was huge. But it paid dividends in the end.
Piastri is a talented racing driver, and his rookie F1 season with McLaren in 2023 was a clear testament to the fact. With the help of his father’s company, Piastri got the financial push he needed. However, it was talent that got him where he is today.
Oscar Piastri’s journey to becoming F1 driver at McLaren
Piastri is currently in F1, the very top of the motorsports world. However, he started creating waves and building a reputation as one of the best young talents in the world long before he made it to this summit.
He gained a lot of experience, impressing the bosses when he competed in karting and the junior Formula series, but in 2020, he got his first big break. He signed for famous racing outfit Prema in F3 and won the championship that year. This was just the beginning of an incredible story, as he won the F2 title just a year later as a rookie.
His talent was too big for F1 teams to ignore, and even though he was an Alpine junior, McLaren decided to sign him up for 2023. Since then, he has gone on to become a household name among F1 fans, and is giving his talented teammate, Lando Norris, a run for his money.
Piastri has been driving a car that can compete for podiums at the most. While it is not a given, Norris is regarded as the number one driver of the team. However, if and when McLaren field a car capable enough to fight for wins championships, the power dynamic between Norris and Piastri could shift.
