Andrea Stella compares the Oscar Piastri of a year ago with the Piastri at the current Formula 1 test in Bahrain and finds pleasing differences
In the 2023 Formula 1 season, Oscar Piastri blossomed into a rookie sensation. As McLaren’s form improved, the Australian proved his ability and finished in the top 3 several times in the sprint and Grand Prix in the second half of the season – including a victory in the Qatar sprint race
The expectations for his second season with McLaren are correspondingly high, as they temporarily became the first challenger to dominator Red Bull towards the 2023 season.
At the Formula 1 winter test in Bahrain, Piastri shares the test days with his teammate Lando Norris. The Australian drove the MCL60 in the mornings. After ninth place on Wednesday, he finished tenth overall on Thursday with a personal best time of 1:32.328 minutes.
Compared to last year, when Piastri started the season as a rookie, Team Principal Andrea Stella already sees clear differences: “If I compare this with last year in Bahrain, we have seen much more self-confidence, where the limit of the car is, where the limit is in relation to him as a driver.”
“Because sometimes as a rookie you have to explore so many options in terms of driving that you’re not sure if it’s you that needs to drive differently or if it’s the car that needs to behave differently,” explains Stella.
“I feel like he’s much more aware now and realizes much quicker if and how he needs to adapt or if the car needs to do it for him. So this awareness has definitely improved. As has the speed with which he is developing,” praises the McLaren team principal.
“On the very first day, when he did a few continuous laps, things clicked for him in terms of performance. He understood a lot of things and from then on he took these improvements into the next run. So it goes much, much faster.”
“So that’s the most important thing I’ve noticed,” Stella emphasizes, adding: “I would also say that this awareness that you rely on from a driving point of view can also be seen in his interaction with the engineers and the rest of the team. So he’s become a much more mature driver. “
