PIASTRI F1 COLUMN: HOOPS MEETS UP
Piastri’s F1 column as published in Auto Action magazine issue 1889 on sale June 27 2024.
Formula 1 and NBA basketball – there is a link as Oscar explains in his latest column ahead of the upcoming triple header.
It’s a busy spell of races coming up with Austria and Great Britain straight off the back of Barcelona last weekend. Silverstone, in particular, is one that all of the drivers look forward to because it is such an enjoyable track to drive. I love the fast sections where you can really push the car to the limit and test yourself.
That will obviously be a home race for McLaren with it being a British-based team. That’s always special because there will be superb papaya support in the crowd and a lot of flags and caps all around the circuit.
A memory that really sticks with me from last year is visiting the fan stage after the race and the reception I received from all the fans there.
They’d made up a ‘chant’ for me and the atmosphere they created, even several hours after the race, was awesome.
It’s really positive to be in a position at the moment, thanks to the hard work of everyone at the team, that we have a competitive car and we can be fighting at the front end for the big prizes. That always makes driving so much more fun.
On a personal level, I’ve managed to enjoy some really good moments in recent times like the podium at Monaco – and that only spurs you on to want more. That performance had been building after a few weekends which I was really happy with in Miami, despite not getting the reward, and at Imola.
Given how tight everything is currently, it’s so important to keep focused on scoring good points and maximising returns from every weekend as it is so close for every position in the Constructors’ Championship this year.
Away from the track, I’ve been keeping a close eye on Australia’s matches at the ICC T20 World Cup and was watching a fair bit of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks over in the States.
NBA is something that I’ve been following more and more and I’ve been luckily enough to watch two matches live in the flesh this year. The physicality and competition is pretty phenomenal and I want to try and get to some more games in the future.
I really enjoyed The Last Dance series that I watched a while back and was fascinated by the psychology and mindset of Michael Jordan. I’ve since met up with a few of the Aussies playing in the US – like Patty Mills when I visited Miami for the Grand Prix back in May – and it’s been cool to pick their brains on their approach to the sport.
Basketball may seem a world away from driving a car but it’s always useful to chat with other sportsmen and sportswomen to learn about their routines, training and nutrition as there tends to be a lot of common ground between different disciplines in terms of preparation.
I’m also really looking forward to watching the Olympics in Paris.
I think they get under way around the time F1 heads to Belgium so I’ll be taking some of that in before things get going again with the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August.
You won’t be surprised to hear that I’ll keep track of the basketball and track and field but usually find myself completely addicted to sports that I’ve never watched before.
Unfortunately, cricket doesn’t become an Olympic sport until 2028!
Thanks as ever for all the support from back home and enjoy the next few races.
Take care. Oscar.
Head to Oscar’s official website for the latest news and his new range of merchandise store.oscarpiastri.com
MAIN image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES
READ THE LATEST PIASTRI VICTORY ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION DIGITAL HERE
Don’t forget the print edition of Auto Action available via subscription here. For more of the latest motorsport news, subscribe to AUTO ACTION magazine.
