McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is ready to race

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri is refreshed and ready for his rookie Formula 1 season, Andrew Clarke reports…

The young Australian racing prodigy is ready to race in F1 and can’t wait for the third round of the 2023 Formula 1 Championship to be held in the city of his birth.

Oscar Piastri says it is cool to say his job is now a Formula One driver as he prepares for his debut race in Bahrain in a couple of weeks with McLaren.

The 21-year-old from Melbourne was rolled out in front of the global media last night as the team revealed the MCL60 that will celebrate its 60th year and hopefully return it to the promised land.

It’s real! The McLaren ML60 carrying the number 81, the car that Aussie young gun Oscar Piastri will race in the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Piastri left Australia five years ago to pursue his Formula One dream and won consecutive championships from 2019 to 2021 (Formula Renault Eurocup, FIA Formula 3 Championship and then FIA Formula 2 Championship) before signing with McLaren last year.

Piastri has was a two-time winner of the prestigious Autosport Rookie of the Year award after strolling to the second-tier FIA Formula 2 Championship. It was the Australian’s third world title in three years having won the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup title and the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2020 for which he was given the award.

In 2022, Piastri was also awarded the Sir Jack Brabham award for the second year running. The award from Motorsport Australia is handed to the best performing Australian racing internationally.

Now he’s hoping to make his mark in the biggest racing category in the world.

Piastri’s climb into F1 has been well documented in the pages of AUTO ACTION, and after spending part of the summer in Melbourne with his family, he has returned to prepare for his debut.

“It feels more and more real,” he said from the UK. “I think today’s obviously a big day launching the new car. It’s a big step in terms of it feeling more like reality. I think it’ll fully sink in once I get out for testing in Bahrain.”

“I went home for about a month, so I got a nice break at home which was good. It’s now my annual trip. Obviously, we’re going back there soon enough for Melbourne Grand Prix, but I got a bit of time off with my family and friends and a lot of physical training and stuff like that to ensure I’m ready.

“Once I got back to the UK, I’ve been hard at work with the team. I moved closer to the team as well, so I spent a lot of days in the factory meeting people and a lot of work in the sim.

“So, it’s been a busy time, but also a nice break.

“But I am ready to race again after nearly 18 months away” Piastri said.

Oscar Piastri and he McLaren teammate Lando Norris pose with the new McLaren ML60 Formula 1 car.

Last year Piastri had his first weekend at the Australian Grand Prix in an official role as a reserve driver at Alpine.

“I’ll have two races before Melbourne to hopefully get stuck in and get a bit more settled, and get some more experience before we go to Melbourne.

“So, I suppose it goes both ways a little bit. I went last year to the Grand Prix in Melbourne as reserve driver. So, I’ve got somewhat of an expectation of what to expect, but yeah, it’s certainly going to be an experience I’ll never forget in Melbourne.

“I think Melbourne last year was already a bit of an experience as a reserve driver, so I’m expecting it to be pretty nuts. There’s going to be an even bigger crowd than last year, which is awesome! It’ll be chaos, but that’s always a good thing.

“Being a Melbourne boy as well, it’s a nice story there. I remember when I was a kid being able to hear the cars from where my parents used to live. I grew up about six or seven kilometres from the track. I’ve got some special memories there.

“It’s going to be my first race in Australia outside of Go-Karts, full stop. It’s been a while since I’ve raced at home. It’ll be a special feeling.”

Still, he doesn’t underestimate the significance of his position now in terms of the sport in this country.

His arrival in F1 after dominating F2 and F3 has opened doors for four Australian drivers in the feeder classes. 2023 will see both Formula 2 and Formula 3 competing at the Australian Grand Prix for the first time.

“It is nice to be the next Aussie into F1. There’s usually only one of us at a time, so to be the Aussie on the grid is a special feeling.

“It’s nice that some drivers are following my footsteps in the lower categories and coming up.”

McLaren’s team manager, Andrea Stella is impressed with his new driver-Oscar Piastri.

New McLaren team manager Andreas Stella says he has been impressed with the team’s new driver so far.

“Oscar is a man of few words but the right words,” Stella said. “If there’s one characteristic in the interactions we have had so far with him, it’s that he has been demanding. But demanding in a very qualified way despite not having even started in Formula One yet, which I already see will be a very important contributor to elevating the standards.

“Also, we’ve been impressed with his runs at the simulator for the way he’s been finding performance, just the level of awareness. So far, very happy and impressed.”

It was a big night for McLaren as it launched the car that will take it through its 60th year in F1 and hopefully move it back to the top of the field. It has more than once dominated the sport with 183 race wins, leading it to eight Constructors’ Championships and 12 Drivers’ Championships, its last title being in 2008 with Lewis Hamilton.

The McLaren ML60 Formula 1 car that Oscar Piastri will race in the 2023 season.

Grab the next issues of Auto Action for more with Oscar and our Formula One season preview.

For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.

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