The 22-year-old Australian racing phenom opened up his maiden Formula 1 season with a more than respectable 9th-place finish in the World Driver’s Championship, securing 97 points throughout the campaign. While these numbers are impressive, it may not come as much of a surprise for anybody who has been following the McLaren Racing driver prior to his F1 debut. He has always impressed in the sport, winning back-to-back championships in the 2020 FIA Formula 3 season and the 2021 FIA Formula 2 season – a feat only accomplished by fellow Formula 1 drivers George Russell and Charles Leclerc. Piastri then signed on as one of two McLaren Racing team members following a year as Alpine’s reserve driver. Oscar Piastri has proved that he is already able to compete with the best in the world, but can he improve on his special 2023 debut campaign?
Piastri got off to a tough start in Formula 1, collecting 5 points through his first 9 races. 4 of these points came from a solid showing at Albert Park Circuit during his home Grand Prix debut in Melbourne. However, many of his early F1 sufferings cannot be completely attributed to poor racing on his part.
The MCL60, McLaren’s contenting car for the season, was clearly a difficult beast to tame. The car was at the bottom of the field in terms of performance and was difficult to excel in regardless of who was handling it. Unfortunately, it meant a slow start for Piastri nonetheless.
However, as much-needed upgrades to the MCL60 rolled out after these first 9 races, Piastri began to find his form. He earned 78 points through the next 9 races and eventually closed out the season with a total of 97, a sum he will certainly look to improve upon in the upcoming campaign.
While the statistics show that Piastri is McLaren’s number two driver, he certainly doesn’t drive like it. He races with the confidence of the best and he has the skill to back it up.
He finished on two podiums in the 2023 campaign, coming in an incredible P2 (2nd place) in the Qatar Grand Prix. He consistently keeps his teammate, Lando Norris, on his toes, fighting to be the best McLaren on the track at every race.
In the 2023 iteration of the sport, Piastri out-qualified Norris on 7 occasions and finished higher in the race on 5 occasions. As he looks to better these numbers in the 2024 season, he not only seems capable, but hungry for the challenge. McLaren will be hopeful that Piastri can push himself even further, helping McLaren to eclipse the 4th-place Constructors Championship finish of the previous season. With Piastri contracted at least through the end of the 2026 season with McLaren, it seems that he is only just starting to show the potential of the fruitful partnership they could become.
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