McLaren boss Zak Brown has branded Aussie F1 star Oscar Piastri a ‘future world champion’ – as the 22-year-old reveals his most embarrassing moments and funniest racing antics
- Piastri is in his debut Formula One season
- Struggled with the driver’s standing
- But enough has been shown to suggest he’s going to be a big name
McLaren fans may have been starved of success in recent years, but CEO Zak Brown believes better times are ahead as he declared Aussie driver Oscar Piastri a future world champion.
The highly publicized split between McLaren and Australian Daniel Ricciardo last year put Piastri in the hot seat from the start, with the Melbourne-born driver entering Formula One under enormous expectations.
Currently, McLaren Piastri is 14th in the driver standings while teammate Lando Norris is ninth.
While McLaren are still struggling to get their car right, Brown has no issue with Piastri’s form in his debut season.
‘We are very impressed with him,’ said Brown.
‘He is very focused. He didn’t really make any big mistakes. [Just the] typical exploration of the limits, hence the odd lock of a wheel here and there.
‘He hasn’t been to it all [circuits used so far in 2023] so early indications are we have a future world champion on our hands.
‘We just have to work to get him a faster car now.’
While the results are still off the board for young McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, he has impressed boss Dan Brown in the early stages of his career
McLaren is working hard to fix their car so that Piastri and teammate Lando Norris can finally reach their potential
McLaren boss Zak Brown believes Oscar Piastri will one day become a world champion in Formula One
Brown said Piastri had shown wisdom beyond his years in his early days in F1 and was also excited about the combination he forged with Norris.
‘Oscar has been amazing since we got him in the car. He is very mature. He’s very focused and he’s very technical,’ Brown said.
‘The combination of Lando and Oscar, I can’t think of a better combination of drivers … Oscar has done a fantastic job and he’s trading lap times with Lando now and that’s what you want.’
Racing has been in Piastri’s blood since he was a small child and he recently spoke about his passion for F1 and following the sport while at school.
‘Every time there’s a race on, I’m stuck with it. From an early age, I was constantly fully updated on all this and it was part of my work,’ he said.
‘There is an interest in motorsport and the car industry in general on both sides of my family so it was a natural progression for me to follow it all.
‘Because of the time difference in Australia, I watched a lot of the F1 races that were scheduled the next day after school.
‘Of all of them, I’d say one that stands out is Jenson Button’s win in Canada in 2011. I managed to avoid knowing the result until I sat down to watch it and it was great to watch him battle through the field.
‘My other most vivid memory is watching the V8s on TV and then running into the backyard and hearing them go round. That sound stays with you.’
Racing has always been a big part of Piastri’s life and he rushes home from school to watch recordings of F1 races run overnight
Although Piastri is a very dedicated and enthusiastic person, he has shown a lighter side of his personality recently
While Piastri cuts a very serious figure, he also revealed the lighter side of working with McLaren including a recent prank that left him in stitches.
‘That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard [and it did not involve me] was one of the teams filling the shower head in the bathroom of one of their engineers with salt and pepper which meant he was shocked,’ he said.
‘I think my most embarrassing moment was back in junior racing. My teammate and I assumed we would have a ride arranged on the track but an hour before the session we were still at the hotel sitting at the reception. We had to take a taxi but we arrived in time.’
