Oscar Piastri in 2024
After the contract controversy surrounding Piastri, he officially joined McLaren for his rookie season in F1. This was a successful season. The McLaren car come into its own as the 2023 season progressed. Retirement in his first F1 race was not the debut he was hoping for, but at his first home race at Albert Park, the then 21-year-old earned his first points in F1, finishing eighth after a chaotic race. Piastri backed that up with an 11th place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, just two seconds away from consecutive points finishes.
When the British Grand Prix rolled around, a newly upgraded McLaren greeted Piastri, and he took advantage of this by qualifying third on the grid, just behind his teammate Norris. Unfortunately, he could not get onto the podium, finishing just a second behind Lewis Hamilton in P4, but a 5th place at the Hungaroring showed everyone his place in F1 was well-founded.
At the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified and finished second in the sprint race, qualifying just 0.011 seconds behind Max Verstappen around the famous Spa track. Another top-ten finish at the Dutch Grand Prix just after the summer break means Piastri’s points total is slowly growing throughout his debut season. Verstappen won the title in Qatar, but it was Piastri who joined him in the headlines with a sprint race victory. He stood on the podium twice after Grands Prix in 2023. In 2024, Piastri is hoping to get even closer to Norris on a consistent basis.
Oscar Piastri biography
Oscar Piastri started open-wheel racing in 2016 in Formula 4 at just 15 years of age, with his first title coming in the Formula 4 UAE Championship. After three more years, which included a Formula Renault Eurocup title win, he joined Formula 3 in 2020, driving for Prema Racing. Piastri took the title with 164 points, earning a race win on debut in Austria and another win around Catalunya. He finished just three points ahead of Theo Pourchaire, who finished in second.
With that title win, he continued to race for Prema Racing but was promoted to Formula 2 for the 2021 season. Compared to the tight battle during his F3 title win in 2020, his season in F2 was simpler as he eased his way to the top of the F2 standings, taking the drivers’ title with 252.5 points, with Robert Shwartzman coming second with 192 points. Piastri had six wins throughout the season, which included four consecutive feature race victories.
F1 opportunity comes after contract controversy
After taking back-to-back titles in F3 and F2, becoming only the fifth driver to do so, a move to F1 was expected for the talented Australian. The now 21-year-old was a part of the Renault Sport Academy, and after his F3 triumph, he was able to test drive for Renault, which he continued to do in 2021 for the rebranded Alpine. After Piastri took his F2 title, he was signed as Alpine’s reserve driver for the 2022 season, along with McLaren, after an agreement was struck between the two teams.
Piastri was set to drive for Williams in 2023 on loan from Alpine, but after Fernando Alonso moved from Alpine to Aston Martin, it left a space that the French team needed to fill. They then announced that Piastri would take Alonso’s seat for the 2023 season, but no quotes from Piastri himself were used in their announcement.
This announcement was rejected by Piastri on his Twitter account, saying that he had not signed a contract with the French team and that he would not drive for them in 2023. As a result, this led to a hearing of the FIA's Contract Recognition Board (CRB), which sought to determine whether Piastri could join another team or if he was contracted to Alpine. The CBR ruled against Alpine, meaning Piastri could join another team. The Australian signed for McLaren shortly afterwards.
Piastrti signed with the British team to take on a reserve role for 2023. A move to a racing seat depended on whether his fellow countryman Daniel Ricciardo and his new team could agree on a contract termination. Before the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, an agreement was made, and after a very long-winded process, Oscar Piastri finally had an expected seat in Formula 1.
Oscar Piastri popularity
Being a driver for McLaren, one of the most popular and well-known teams in F1, it means that Oscar Piastri is a popular driver. However, with it only being his debut season in F1, he is still relatively unknown to some fans. But his competitive side on track and relaxed nature off track means he is easy to like, and his popularity will continue to grow, as will his time in F1. Currently, Oscar Piastri has 1.1 million Instagram followers.
What is Oscar Piastri's greatest strength as an F1 driver?
Although he is new to Formula 1, Oscar Piastri’s ability to adapt to a new car is fantastic, shown by how he has taken to F1 with relative ease. This ability to adapt was shown in F3 and F2, taking both titles in his rookie seasons. A competitive nature also resides in the Australian, which has helped him compete and battle throughout his debut season in F1, leading him to potential future race wins.
