Piastri F1 column: Thanks Melbourne!

Piastri’s F1 column as published in Auto Action magazine issue 1857 on sale April 21 2023.

Firstly, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to write this new monthly column in Auto Action and give you a bit of an insight into what I’m getting up to in my first season as an F1 driver. 

Some of you may remember that I started writing a similar column in 2020 as I was embarking on my Formula 3 campaign and through to early last year. 

With my F1 racing now underway, now feels a good time to bring you back up to speed with everything going on with my racing and some of the things I’m involved with off-track too. 

Growing up back home in Australia, I used to read Auto Action to keep abreast of all the racing news and so, it is great to be asked to pen my thoughts on a regular basis.

I am going to try and use the column to reflect on my races, let you know some of the things I’m doing in between grands prix and throw things forward to the next trips in my diary. 

It’s been a very busy start to the year with official testing in Bahrain and the three grands prix thus far. I must say that I am absolutely loving being back in the car after a year out last year as there is no feeling like racing and having the competitive juices flowing. 

Racing is a massive part of my life and I am enjoying every second of being in Formula 1 and testing myself at all the different circuits with their unique challenges.

This was the dream all those years ago and I am determined to make the most of the incredible opportunity that I have. 

Oscar Piastri with the record breaking amount of fans. Photo by Jake Grant / LAT Images

McLaren have given me an awesome welcome as their new F1 driver and it’s been great to work with all the team, the engineers, the mechanics, the senior management and of course, Lando, as we work to improve the car and push us forwards. 

I’ve got the hang of all the names and faces now and I’ve really enjoyed spending lots of time at the MTC in Woking where I’ve seen the team spirit and determination that goes into everything. 

The first two races didn’t quite go to plan for us but I was really encouraged by qualifying in Saudi Arabia where I lined up on the grid in P8 just behind Lewis and it was great to back that up with my first-ever F1 points in Melbourne. 

I am a very proud Australian and to be able to achieve that in front of my home crowd was special. I grew up in Brighton, a stone’s throw away from Albert Park, so it was my home city not just home country. 

I’ve driven round the park countless times in a road vehicle, so flying round there in an F1 car for the first time was amazing and brought back so many memories of when I used to hear the roar of the F1 engines from my back garden with family. 

Oscar Piastri gave the record crowd a huge reason to cheer. Photo by Lionel Ng / Sutton Images

Seeing the grandstands full of papaya and so many fans lining the Melbourne Walk to see and support me was a massive boost. I was blown away by the amount of people that turned out day in, day out so a big thank you to everyone. 

I wasn’t at all surprised to hear of the record four-day attendance at the GP. 

The buzz around the fan parks and wider circuit was incredible and the passion that all the fans show is remarkable. 

I flew back to the UK the morning after the race as we had testing in Imola that week in the 2021 McLaren car, the MCL35M.

While I was at Imola, I also celebrated my 22nd birthday. Some of you may have seen it online but the team surprised me with a birthday cake which was a nice surprise. 

I will say that the presentation was slightly dubious though!

Since then, I’ve been training hard getting ready for the next race in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has been a bit of an extended break, so I am looking forward to getting back to it when FP1 gets under way on the 28th. 

 Thanks for reading and I will be back with my next column in mid-May. 

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