Oscar Piastri hails Mark Webber’s support amidst an impressive start to the rookie season with McLaren
Oscar Piastri is having one of the best rookie seasons a driver has had in the last couple of years in F1.
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Mark Webber and Oscar Piastri (Credits: couriermail.com.au)
Australian racer Oscar Piastri made his Formula 1 debut in 2023 for McLaren, replacing veteran Daniel Ricciardo. His move to the iconic British team came after a major transfer drama involving his former employer, Alpine. One of the handfuls of significant personals that played a huge role in his rise is his manager and former Red Bull driver, Mark Webber.
During a recent interview on Virgin Radio, Piastri acknowledged the significant impact that Webber had on his career. The rookie said that the nine-time F1 race winner has worked with him behind the scenes in the last few years and said that he can always bank on his fellow countryman who has vast Formula One racing experience.
“He’s good. The first few years we worked together, he did a lot behind the scenes for me – he still does a lot behind the scenes for me now. Obviously, he’s got a wealth of F1 experience racing experience, and now that I’m in F1 myself, he’s got heaps of ideas and questions,” the former F2 champion said.
Piastri further stated that Mark Webber has been incredibly supportive. Webber has been asking him questions about aspects of his career he hadn’t considered before, and it is helping him to develop as a racer. He said, “At this stage of my career, there’s stuff I’ve not even thought of that he’s asking me, so he’s very, very good behind the scenes and good at helping me on the track when he can.”
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Andrea Stella claims upgrades to the car enabled Piastri to demonstrate his potential
McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has noted that rookie driver Oscar Piastri finally has the opportunity to showcase his talent. The team boss believes the youngster could extract more performance from the car once the upgrades were made.
“I’m not sure [Piastri’s progress] has actually accelerated. I think he just took benefit from the car being more competitive. Therefore, there are more opportunities to show what he is capable of,” he said.
Piastri stands in 11th position with 34 points, with half of the races done this season. He went on to summer break with a disappointing end to the race at Spa, as an early incident involving Carlos Sainz forced him to retire. He started the race on P2 after an impressive qualifying run on Friday in Belgium. His prime target for the second half of the year will be to secure podium finishes.
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Justin P Joy
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