Oscar Piastri hasn’t reached 50 Grand Prix starts yet but is already putting himself in contention to become a Formula 1 world champion this year.
The decision to jump ship from Alpine to join McLaren for the beginning of the 2023 season is looking like one of the most inspired moves in the Formula 1 driver’s market for some time.
Instead of being the face of a midfield team, Oscar Piastri is a two-time Grand Prix winner and has already proven he can battle the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
Piastri’s move on Leclerc in Baku had Karun Chandhok jumping out of his seat and earned him one of the most impressive victories of the season in 2024.
Although Piastri needed some cooperation from teammate Lando Norris to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time in Hungary, his daring move down the inside of his teammate on the first lap was enough to earn him track position and the win.
At just 23 years old, Piastri is still one of the youngest drivers on the grid.
Six newcomers arriving in the paddock this season has drastically lowered the average age, but Piastri is quickly becoming that elusive mix of experience and potential.
He didn’t get his start in the sport as early as Norris and Verstappen, which is why Piastri continues to improve from race to race as he still has a lot to learn.
Journalist Nate Saunders was speaking on the Formula Fantasy Hub YouTube channel about the Australian and shared an interesting insight about how he’s seen by those within the McLaren team.
Unfortunately, it’s not what Norris is going to want to hear after being Verstappen’s closest rival in the championship last year.
McLaren insiders believe Oscar Piastri will be Formula 1’s best driver in a few years
Talking about the circumstances that saw Piastri leave Alpine for McLaren and the ominous position that puts Jack Doohan in this season, Saunders said: “There’s always been a feeling at Alpine that, I mean Piastri should have been the face of that team, they bungled that completely and since then, there’s been a real feeling of we need to promote youth up whenever it comes.
“Doohan doesn’t have the same level of hype and excitement that there was around Piastri.
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“I think he’s a good driver, [but] I’m not sure he’s at the same level, I think Piastri, he could be the best driver in Formula 1 in a few years in my opinion.
“From what I’ve heard from people at McLaren, they think that as well.”
Oscar Piastri warned not to copy McLaren teammate Lando Norris’ driving technique
McLaren will be well aware that they have one of the strongest pairings on the grid this season and given both drivers are under the age of 26, they’ll only get better over the next few years.
Managing their expectations, particularly if McLaren have the fastest car on the grid in 2025 is not going to be easy.
Both Norris and Piastri will believe that they should be backed to challenge for the world championship and making sure they don’t get in each other’s way is going to be crucial to not losing out on the constructors’ championship.
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Peter Windsor is worried Piastri is trying to copy Norris’ technique and abandoning what made him such a strong driver in the first place.
If Red Bull lose Verstappen to one of their rivals, Helmut Marko has admitted he would love to sign Norris or Piastri to strengthen their line-up.
If Red Bull made an offer that McLaren couldn’t resist, it would be fascinating to see whether they would let Norris or Piastri go, and which they would want to continue working alongside.
