Oscar Piastri often comes across as a calm and cool individual. The 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix is a perfect case in point, where he took his maiden win after going through a somewhat unsettling situation. However, he explains that being calm and collected doesn’t mean that he is a robot who doesn’t feel anything.
Piastri had been leading the race in Budapest from the first lap and he only lost the lead when McLaren decided to pit his teammate Lando Norris before him on lap 45. Despite the team telling him that Norris would let him through, he didn’t get the lead back until the final three laps. That should have rattled anyone, let alone someone only in his second season and on the way to his first victory.
Melbourne-born Oscar Piastri has made history by winning his first Formula One Grand Prix in Hungary. Teammate Lando Norris played the villain almost refusing to move aside for the Aussie before McLaren finished one and two | @OscarPiastri @McLarenF1 @F1 #HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/0Qtf7JI0kU
— 10 News First (@10NewsFirst) July 22, 2024
However, Piastri stayed levelheaded all the while Norris and his race engineer Will Joseph had a back-and-forth about who should win the race. The first radio message from a zen Piastri amid this tense situation came on lap 66 when he told his race engineer that things were getting too close for comfort.
Piastri has often been praised for his level of maturity and calmness despite being so young. In a recent exclusive with Autosport, the Aussie driver explained that it comes naturally to him. “I think it is somewhat natural for me but it’s also been a conscious effort,” he said when asked about his demeanor.
“I know I come across as very calm but I’m not a robot. I do have peaks and troughs… I’m probably more on the relaxed side of things, but there is definitely being too relaxed too. So, I think just finding that right balance and finding out what works for you is important… Yes, there’s a radio button, but you can say things without pushing the button…,” he added.
In fact, Piastri is so calm that even his teammate couldn’t help but praise him.
Norris admitted to learning quite a bit from Piastri
While Piastri mostly remains calm and composed regardless of how the weekend goes, his teammate is a little different. After a tough race, Norris has often spoken about how he let the team down or how he did something wrong that cost him a good result.
However, the Briton knows that he can learn a thing or two from his zen teammate. Speaking about the 2023 season earlier this year, Norris heaped a lot of praise on his teammate for his ability to just absorb the pressure and remain calm.
“Oscar had an incredible season. Keeping calm and being yourself, it’s good to be reminded of that. I think he’s been very, very good at dealing with pressure, better than I feel like I remember I was when I started,” the Briton said per the Mirror.
After Hungary, Piastri would ideally hope to not have any sour feelings between him and Norris. Both drivers have admitted the same that they are on good terms and even celebrated the Aussie’s first win together .
