Why F1 debutant Oscar Piastri is ‘not concerned’ about McLaren challenge

Oscar Piastri will make his Formula 1 debut this year but says he is “not concerned” about his age or level of experience.

The Australian will line up for McLaren in 2023, replacing fellow countryman Daniel Ricciardo after a contentious and complicated contract situation.

At his team’s car launch ahead of the new season, the 21-year-old addressed Ricciardo’s exit before championing a strong debut campaign.

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“First of all, I think it’s a shame that things didn’t work out between the team and Daniel. But I think for me personally I’m not worried about lack of experience,” said Piastri.

“I think during my junior career I had to change cars every year – I never drove the same car for more than a year. I think adaptation is a big strength that you need in the junior categories and I think that was particularly important in mine.

“I think from that point of view I’m not worried. I did some testing with the 2021 car, of course, and the post-season test last year with McLaren, so I know a bit of what to expect.

“But I think as a driver you always have to adapt – there will always be certain things that might not suit you as well as you would like. You always want more grip and more power. I think there are always some limitations – it’s just how you work around them.”

Despite his age, Piastri has already built an impressive motorsport resume.

After climbing through the karting ranks in his hometown of Melbourne, he relocated to the UK in 2017 to compete in the British Formula 4 Championship.

Piastri’s first major win in the racing championship came in 2019 when he was in the lead after the Formula Renault Eurocup season.

He moved up to Formula 3 in 2020, followed immediately by a move to Formula 2 in 2021 where he won both championships.

However, in the season following his F2 triumph, he still failed to secure an F1 spot, instead traveling with Alpine as a reserve driver in 2022.

After admitting that a year without competitive racing was “not ideal,” he explained that he will focus on learning early in the season.

“I think it does (makes you hungrier). As a racer I obviously want to race all the time, so obviously going a year without racing wasn’t ideal,” he said.

“But I think I tried to make the best of what I had last year and tried to learn as much as I could about the F1 environment outside of driving.

“Regarding the results (for 2023), there aren’t really any set expectations… I’ll try to learn as much as I can and get up to speed as quickly as possible, (but) there will be an element of rust , which hasn’t driven in a while.

“It’s been almost 18 months since I last raced, so for me the most exciting part is just getting back on track and doing what I love… being able to say my job is a being an F1 driver is pretty cool to be able to say line.”

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Piastri will also continue the streak of having an Australian driver on the F1 grid, a trend that has continued since Mark Webber’s debut in 2002.

The young Victorian is hoping to become the next successful F1 product from Down Under.

“It’s nice to be the next Australian in F1. There’s usually only one of us on the road at a time, so it’s a special feeling to be the Australian on the grid now,” he said.

“It’s a great feeling of pride to be the only Australian on the grid but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy having other Australians on the grid there as well.

“Looking back on the past… Alan Jones and Sir Jack are two big names in Australian motorsport and Mark. Obviously there is a personal connection between my manager (Webber) and Daniel with his race wins.

“I want to be the next Australian to succeed in sport…it’s an inspiration to me to do my country proud.”

The global nature of elite motorsport means Piastri has not raced competitively in Australia since his junior go karting days.

The Australian Grand Prix will therefore be a special homecoming for him.

Set as the third race on the 2023 calendar, Piastri won’t have long to wait for his Albert Park debut.

“I drove to the Melbourne Grand Prix last year as a reserve driver and I have a pretty good idea of ​​what to expect,” said Piastri.

“Melbourne was quite a bit of an experience last year…so I expect it to be pretty crazy.

“I know it’s an even bigger crowd than last year, which is great, so there will be chaos, but that’s always a good thing.

“It’s going to be special, I think being a Melbourne boy too, that’s a beautiful story. I remember as a kid I could hear the cars from where my parents lived six or seven kilometers from the track, so I have some special memories there.

“It will be my first race in Australia outside of go-karts, period. So it’s been a while since I’ve raced at home.”

“It will definitely be an experience I will never forget in Melbourne.”

Piastri and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris will drive the new MCL60 in pre-season testing in Bahrain later this month before the season kicks off March 3-5 in the same city.