Lewis Hamilton will argue that he’s still got years ahead of him in Formula 1 as he prepares to begin the third major chapter of his career at Ferrari.
However, Hamilton has also just turned 40 and despite what he and Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso are attempting, they can’t race in F1 forever.
Ferrari are preparing for Hamilton’s arrival on Monday and they’ll hope he still has the capacity to challenge for victories and ultimately the championship over the next few years.
On the other end of the spectrum, McLaren star Oscar Piastri is arguably the leading light in the newest generation of F1 drivers.
The 23-year-old is already a two-time Grand Prix winner and helped Hamilton’s first F1 team win the Constructors’ Championship in 2024.
Although they’re at completely different stages in their career, they both have one thing in common.
Hamilton and Piastri are among a small group of drivers who reached F1 by dominating the series leading up to the pinnacle of motorsport.
Prema’s technical director Guillaume Capietto worked with both drivers – as well as Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc – and has told Autosport the distinct difference he saw between both drivers.
Oscar Piastri more ‘mathematic’ than Lewis Hamilton before reaching Formula 1
Talking about both F1 stars, Capietto said: “He [Piastri] looked much more relaxed.
“But he also had a bit of a pressure and he’s also a good worker. Yes, sometimes you felt that you’d say something and [ask yourself], ‘Did he understand? Did he listen?’ So, you repeat, but at the end, he’s more there than you think.
“He’s also talented. He’s maybe a bit more mathematic – doing things in a plan. Whereas, maybe Lewis was sometimes going more on his feelings. That’s at this stage 20 years ago, now he’s probably very different!
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“[In 2021 in F2] we were also with [Piastri] and [now Prema IndyCar driver] Robert Shwartzman, which was also a good team where both were friends and there was also a good atmosphere in the team. Honestly, quite similar to the year with Leclerc and Fuoco.”
Hamilton has improved immensely since his winning the Formula 3 Euro Series and GP2 Series in back-to-back years.
Those series can only prepare you so much for Formula 1, but it’s interesting to hear just how different his approach was from Piastri’s before winning that series.
Oscar Piastri entering his most important Formula 1 season with McLaren
Piastri’s debut season with McLaren saw under the spotlight after his dramatic switch from Alpine.
He had just won back-to-back titles but during his season on the sidelines, McLaren decided they needed to snap him up.
Piastri’s victory in the Sprint Race at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix highlighted his immense potential, standing on the top step of an F1 podium – albeit not an actual podium – before his more experienced teammate Lando Norris.
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Piastri’s victories in Hungary and Azerbaijan last year were brilliant and he helped McLaren win the Constructors’ Championship as a result.
However, 2025 could be the year that Piastri has to prove he’s a championship contender as McLaren could realistically have the fastest car on the grid.
Piastri could be forced to look beyond McLaren if he’s subject to team orders again, but that’s a nice problem for team principal Andrea Stella to face if their cars are that quick.
There’s a strong chance that Piastri and Hamilton will be battling each other a lot on track this year and how their different approaches play out will be fascinating to see.
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