Apart from the obvious, no one impressed in the 2023 season as much as the McLaren men. Despite missing developmental targets in the winter and starting the season on the back foot, the Woking-based outfit pulled through and delivered an impactful update before the mid-season break. This enabled the drivers to showcase their true race craft and rookie sensation Oscar Piastri grabbed that opportunity with both hands and even showcased his gratitude for it. The Australian has impressed everyone, especially his team boss Andrea Stella to the extent that the boss is plotting 2024’s strategy with Piastri’s superior “brain power” in mind.

Piastri has showcased already he’s an extremely mature and intelligent driver. He oozes confidence and race management and communication skills are excellent. Working with him closely, the McLaren TP has recognized Piastri’s strengths and he plans to unleash them in the coming season.

“With Oscar, we need to capitalize on what we learned in 2023, try to exploit that in 2024. Oscar, at his advantage, is that he can use his brain power in a very effective way in capitalizing this experience,” said Stella in his conversation with SpeedCafe.

“The other opportunity we have, for instance with Oscar, is try to be… he can be quick. He builds on it through the weekend,” Stella added. “The sooner we get quick in a weekend, as much as possible, the more we can move on to other tasks so that we can be as prepared as possible come the race. So using the speed earlier in practice will put him a little bit on the front foot compared to now, where it takes a couple of sessions, or three, to get to the ultimate speed. That’s our focus. If we do that, you will see that results will come to us.”

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The Italian boss has a clear plan of action on how to unleash the beat within Piastri in the coming season. Piastri had a sensational rookie season and this is an opinion that even an F1 legend shares.

F1 legend sings praises of a mature Oscar Piastri after a brilliant rookie season

Piastri showcased why he was such a sought-after driver and made a lasting impact with a brilliant rookie season. His performances earned him a lot of praise from the entire world of Formula 1. This even includes two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen. While talking about the Australian on a YouTube video, the Finnish driver had nothing but praise for him.

The Finnish legend said, “I know he’s a cool-headed guy. He kept his head down and stayed focused. He’s progressed humbly. Having heard him chat with the engineers, I know he gives good feedback and information.”

“No ifs, ands. or buts, he did an amazing job this year,” Hakkinen concluded.

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The weight of expectations on Piastri’s shoulders is growing but we have a feeling he won’t let that stop him. The rookie has already shown signs of promise and we believe, given the right tools, no one can stop him from winning a championship in the future.