F1 rookie Oscar Piastri has no “urge to prove stuff to people”

Oscar Piastri will make his hotly-anticipated F1 debut in less than a week, but he is not worried about living up to the expectations or proving himself.

F1 rookie Oscar Piastri has no “urge to prove stuff to people”

Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri will participate in his first Formula 1 race in less than a week from now. He’s one of the most highly-regarded rookies in recent times, and one of the most decorated as well. Before he was forced to take a break year in 2022, the Australian won three junior championships in three years! He won Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019, Formula 3 in 2020, and then outclassed everyone in Formula 2 in 2021.

So, expectations for him in 2023 are understandably high. Of course, he’s a rookie, so no one should expect him to be completely on it from the first moment. But he must give a good account of himself regardless of that. But on top of the high expectations, there’s even more added pressure. That pressure comes from the manner of his exit from Alpine – he rejected a promotion to the main team and instead chose to go to McLaren.

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After a long battle, with the matter going in front of the Contract Recognition Board, the McLaren contract he’d signed in July was deemed the only valid one. If he isn’t up to speed from the start (or soon), or if McLaren are not up to the task, there will definitely be questions asked. Social media ridicule can be expected in such a situation. But that hasn’t fazed Piastri. in an interview with The Race, he said: “In my mind, the best way to get people on your side is to win, or do well if you’re not in a position to win.

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The 21-year-old added: “I think that’s kind of a side effect of doing that. But also, time is great and heals a lot of things. So, whatever happened last year, certainly I’m seeing a lot more renewed energy for the start of this year and for myself going racing, which has been nice.I’m just looking forward to going back racing again. And if people like me, they like me, if they don’t like me, they don’t. That’s not really up to me.”

Read More: Oscar Piastri is hopeful to live up to expectations in his F1 debut season with “no extra pressure”

Oscar Piastri: Championships wins are always relevant

Oscar Piastri during the post-season Abu Dhabi test (IMAGO / PanoramiC)
Oscar Piastri during the post-season Abu Dhabi test (IMAGO / PanoramiC)

Oscar Piastri is definitely not concerned about people ‘liking’ him. But at the same time, he does not feel that he needs to prove himself to anyone. Of course, he had an incredibly decorated junior career, which is a testament to his talent. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will 1necessarily be successful in F1, but it’s a good indicator.

The last time Piastri saw some regular racing action was back in 2021, in Formula 2. He was the dominant force that season, and eventually won by 60.5 points. That achievement hasn’t gone anywhere. On this, he said: “I don’t think there’s really any urge to try and prove stuff to people. The good thing about winning championships is they never go away. So, they’re still there on the record. They might be a year older now, but they’re still there. And still the most recent thing I’ve done.”

Despite not racing at all, he did not feel that 2022 was a wasted year. This way, he was able to see things from the ‘outside’. In 2023, he just wants to do everything the right way – he’ll be focusing on that, instead of the outcomes. But obviously, it’ll be better if he and the team would do better. But if their performance in pre-season testing is anything to go by, considering they did the least amount of distance of any team on the grid, things are not looking particularly good for McLaren.

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