Last year, when McLaren and Alpine were stuck in a tug-of-war for Oscar Piastri, there was one question on everyone’s minds: Is the Aussie worth all the fighting and the hype? Six months into his Formula 1 career, Piastri is proving he was worth all of it. Since joining the Woking squad, he’d been slowly getting up to speed with his teammate Lando Norris. Towards the end of the first half of the season, the rookie was already on par with him, fighting him every chance he got, so much so that he said, “I think I can [beat Norris]. I want to try and beat everyone. I’m not here to make up the numbers, I’m here to try and win, and I believe I can do that.” 

With his confidence and talent, there’s no doubt he’s on his way to a successful career riddled with achievements. But for that to happen, he’ll require a car capable of winning races, something McLaren isn’t able to give him at the moment—a flaw that was exposed during the Italian GP.

McLaren’s priority at the moment isn’t Oscar Piastri

Following McLaren’s upgrade overhaul, Piastri and Norris were frequently competing toward the front of the grid, fighting each other and the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari. The MCL60’s pace got so good that Mercedes started questioning its stronghold on P2 in the championship, especially because of how well the McLaren boys were performing. Despite that, the best finish McLaren could achieve was two second-place finishes behind Red Bull, courtesy of Norris. That didn’t mean Piastri wasn’t close by every time that happened, waiting for his opportunity.

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Although they hadn’t gotten a chance to compete toward the front since the Hungarian GP, the Italian GP gave the McLaren boys an opportunity to battle against each other. After Piastri pipped Norris in qualifying—starting in P7 with Norris in P9—the Brit tried to get past Piastri throughout the first stint. Even though Norris was faster and radioed in, saying, “I’m just a lot quicker. Oscar needs to pick up the pace,” the team made no move to switch their places. But an undercut by Norris helped him get ahead of Piastri just as the Aussie got out of the pits (a heart-in-the-mouth moment that could’ve ended like Hamilton and Verstappen in 2021). 

The thing is, they were fighting for an eventual P8, not a race win or a podium. Even though McLaren made improvements after its abysmal straight-line speed in Belgium, it’s still not where it wants to be, and Team Principal Andrea Stella said just that. On the F1 Nation Podcast after the Italian GP, Stella was asked if he sees Piastri winning a race soon. The Italian said, “It’s not about Oscar. It’s about McLaren giving Oscar a car that can win races, and I think Oscar and Lando will take care of that with no problem at all.” While getting McLaren back to the front is what Stella is focusing on right now, he does not doubt Piastri’s potential.

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Oscar Piastri is championship material

Before joining F1, Piastri had a 15-month period where he didn’t race at all. After winning the F3 and F3 titles in consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021, Alpine signed him as its reserve driver in 2022. Hearing about his potential, McLaren snatched him up and put him alongside Norris, taking a huge gamble. Well, it’s paid off, and Piastri has proved he belongs in F1 and is worthy of a championship. Discussing his potential in an interview with Speedcafe, Stella said, “Drivers who have the potential to become world championship material need to have a natural speed, which we saw straightaway.”

He continued, “They need to have the head—the capacity, the capability to use their talent, which Oscar establishes in an interesting way. He keeps his head very clean of noise and disturbances. So it’s a natural talent, a capability to learn, and then he’s a good person with a set of values, ethics, ethos. It is these three elements that are part of the race craft, that world champion craft, that we can see in Oscar.”

Who will win a race first once McLaren gives them a race-winning car: Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris?

WATCH THIS STORY | How Oscar Piastri Has Made a Scintillating Rise to the Pinnacle of Motorsport