Oscar Piastri is one of this year's rookies in Formula 1, but he has managed to surprise everyone with how quickly he adapted to the new environment. At Silverstone, he came incredibly close to his first podium, and McLaren's sudden surge in performance is a reason for optimism. Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Roksana Ćwik had a conversation with the Australian driver about his performances so far, his experience with McLaren, and his participation in the Goodwood event, where he had the opportunity to drive James Hunt's car.
Oscar, I am very happy that I can speak with you after Silverstone. I know it was a bittersweet weekend for you, but if you're looking at it now, a week later, do you still feel a little bit disappointed that it did not culminate in a podium?
Not really, no. The main feeling now is that I was impressed that we were able to make such a big leap in Silverstone, and just very happy to be fighting back in the front. Of course, it does hurt a little bit that we finished fourth when it was looking like third for so long, if not for the safety car, but there was nothing we could have done to change that really. I was very happy with my own performance, very happy with the team's performance as well. I think we did everything right during the weekend, which was great, and the result is a consequence of that and things that we can't control. So, I think from my perspective, I was very, very happy. Of course, having a podium would have been amazing, but the main takeaway was that it was nice to be fighting at the front and just proud that we had such a good weekend in terms of executing and the car performing well.
What is the most significant difference between the new and old car package?
It's just faster, really. The behaviour of the car and the balance of the car is not massively different. It just goes a lot quicker. I think Silverstone also suited us quite well. Plenty of high-speed corners, reasonably cool conditions, which usually suit us quite well. It's not that much difference. I think the biggest surprise in some ways was how quick we were on Sunday. I think we've seen a few times this season that over one lap we can be very quick, even with the old car, but in the race we always kind of drop back a bit. But in Silverstone, it was almost the opposite. We were pretty much just as quick on Sunday as we were on Saturday, which was a surprise, something we still need to understand why and how we made such a big gap. Even in Austria, comparing myself with the old car versus Lando with the new car, it was a massive difference. So, I think that's been the biggest improvement, definitely. But in terms of feeling, it doesn't feel that different, it just goes faster.
You are a rookie, you impressed plenty of people, especially after Silverstone. Comparing the first race in Bahrain and now, do you feel more comfortable? I'm not asking about driving a McLaren car, but about F1 in general.
Yes and no. I think there have been good moments at the beginning of the season, for example, qualifying in Saudi Arabia was a nice moment for my self-confidence, but I think Silverstone was the most complete weekend I've had so far. I'm certainly comfortable within the team, but also just within the paddock. Knowing that I could perform when we had the car capable to do that was a very nice feeling. It's always nice when you don't make mistakes. So, it was nice to know that given the first opportunity I had to achieve that, I did everything I could. There's definitely going to be mistakes and moments to learn from. I'm sure everybody still has those moments, even guys like Lewis [Hamilton] and Fernando [Alonso], who have been here forever now. They're always going to have those moments. But I think Silverstone was definitely my most complete weekend without mistakes. I've had a few more people say hello and know my name and ask for photos, but apart from that, it's really just a nice confidence boost.
You're working with Mark Webber. How helpful is it to have someone like him on your side?
Mark is really helpful. We’ve been working together for about three years now. He's helpful with his racing experience previously, with the people he knows in the paddock. He's been in a championship winning team as well, so he knows from that perspective what elements need to be there. So, he's very helpful on a lot of fronts, but him and Ann [Mark Webber’s wife] are also very helpful behind the scenes with sorting my day-to-day life, all sorts of things. I'm sure there are many things that they manage for me that I never even know about. So very, very useful in making my life as simple as it can be, but also with Mark's experience as well. He's always giving me good tips.
You were in F2, and you’ve advanced to Formula 1. Is it difficult to change your mindset between those championships, different driving styles, different racing scenarios, a lot of overtakes, many fights in F2? And in F1 – you're just sorting and managing the situation?
Sometimes it's similar, sometimes it's different. I think a lot of the feature races in Formula 2, especially the last few, were from the lead and I didn't really see anyone, and it was quite nice. So those races were a bit more similar. The reverse grid races were obviously very different to what we have now, but I think the races are quite different in general. Firstly, they're a lot longer. The races are twice as long, so mentally you need to concentrate for a long time. Sometimes the races have two stops, sometimes even three, which is very different to F2. But also, I think you get quite a lot of practice through the weekend and quite often where you finish is purely because of where the car pace is. Whereas in Formula 2, I feel like sometimes if you have an exceptional result because the engines are the same, the cars are the same, sometimes you can hang on and then have a really big surprise. Whereas in F1, I feel like it's quite difficult to do that. Maybe we did it in Silverstone, hopefully it wasn't a surprise, but it's quite rare to have those moments, I guess. So, from that side of things, it's a little bit different, but certainly there's moments in all races where you can make quite a big difference. If we had started the race in Silverstone in 5th or 6th, we probably would have finished there. So, it makes quite a lot of difference, these little things, and that's no different at the moment.
Before you came here, you had a very busy week with plenty of activities. Which one is your favourite?
I think Goodwood was my favourite. I got to drive one of James Hunt's cars.
What was the feeling to be in that car?
Firstly, nervous because obviously, it's a very historic car, and also with the clutch, the gear stick, I've never had that experience in a race car before.
So, it was the first time?
First time in a race car, yes. Like on the road, I can drive with a gearbox, but first time in a race car. And also, the first time driving a race car that wasn't a car I've raced myself. So, it was quite nerve-wracking. I also only drove the car for the first time on the actual hill, so I had no practice or anything. But it was a very cool experience. Those cars sound awesome, they look awesome. I'm quite happy that I don't have to race them because the safety has gone a long way since then. But it was a very fun day, and Goodwood is such an amazing event. You meet so many amazing people, whether it be the fans that are there, so many drivers from different aspects of motorsport. Without that kind of event, you would never really see these people. So that was a very cool day.
Hill climb. Thank you. You didn’t disappoint! 🤍❤️ pic.twitter.com/TLWbTzTWqB
— Oscar Piastri (@OscarPiastri) July 17, 2023
You are working now for McLaren, it's a very historical team. What do you feel when you remind yourself that you are here, and what are your goals for the rest of the season?
It's a massive privilege to race for McLaren. Firstly, they were very keen to have me as a part of their team, which is always a very nice feeling, being wanted. And with the history of the team, it's always been a team that great drivers have raced for. Of course, the success in the last ten years or so has not been what the team wants, but hopefully now we are getting back on the right track. It's a great feeling to be able to race. Going to Goodwood, for example, was amazing to see all the history of the team because I wasn't alive for all of that. My first memories of watching McLaren were when it was Lewis [Hamilton] and Jenson [Button], really, in the chrome cars. So, seeing more of that history from before, back when they were winning a lot of championships, was very, very cool. And my goals for the rest of the season? I think, really, to have more weekends like Silverstone.
I wish you that!
Thank you. Not so much from a results' perspective. Of course, if we can achieve those results every weekend, that would be amazing. But just from a feeling point of view. I feel like we executed the weekend very well, qualified well, had a very strong race. I just want to be able to leave more weekends, leaving with that feeling. I feel like I've had that in certain sessions through the season, and I think Silverstone was the first weekend, really, where I felt that properly. So, that's the goal, and whatever results that bring will be a bonus.
Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. Thank you for your time.
Thank you!
