McLaren driver Oscar Piastri sees himself well prepared for the fight for the Formula 1 World Championship in the coming season. At the same time, the Australian admits that he now has to “consistently use his skills” to overcome this challenge.
“I feel like I’m at a point now where some days I have almost all the tools I need,” says Oscar Piastri in an interview with “Autosport”.
“I just don’t use them as much as I would like. In the past year [2023] I didn’t have all the tools. I had some, but I was still missing some.”
As a result of the upswing at McLaren, Piastri was also able to improve in the 2024 Formula 1 season and achieve his first Grand Prix victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. This makes the Australian the first Formula 1 race winner born in the 21st century.
In the team duel, however, Piastri had to clearly admit defeat to Lando Norris. This was also due to a weakness in tire management, as an evaluation by “Motorsport-Total.com” showed.
“Weaknesses become more visible at the front of the field”
Tire management is a construction site that the Australian himself has recognized and in which he has already made progress. Nevertheless, Piastri admits self-critically: “I still have a lot to learn and improve.”
The bottom line is that the Australian is satisfied with his personal progress in his second Formula 1 season: “Whether it’s race pace, qualifying or duel behavior – I showed good moments in these areas,” said Piastri. “Overall, I am broadly satisfied with my performance.”
However, the Australian also discovered that the air at the front of the field was becoming increasingly rarefied. “The weaknesses you have are more visible at the front of the field than further back. But I think I have everything I need. I just need to be able to call on it all the time.”