Following a satisfying start to the 2024 season, McLaren’s mischievous speedsters—Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—have been making headlines in the world of Formula 1. One half of these young guns, Lando Norris, again put forth a naughty act with his jump start at the Saudi Arabian GP.
However, the other naughty speedster, Oscar Piastri, has recently appeared in the news, right before the 2024 Australian GP.
How did Oscar Piastri perform in 2023 Australian GP?
In the 2023 F1 season, on 2nd April, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri became one of the handful of Aussies to debut in their hometown country at the Australian Grand Prix, and only one of two Australian F1 drivers to run away with a point-scoring ‘home’ debut.
The 2023 Australian GP, which was only his third F1 Grand Prix in his ‘incredible’ rookie season, was truly a special occasion for the Aussie, as he scored his first F1 points there with an eighth-place finish.
| EVENT | POS | TIME | GAP | LAPS | POINTS |
| Practice 1 | 12 | 1:19.777 | +0.987s | 22 | – |
| Practice 2 | 14 | 1:20.380 | +1.493s | 24 | – |
| Practice 3 | 14 | 1:18.713 | +1.148s | 21 | – |
| Qualifying | 16 | 1:18.517 (Q1) | – | 12 | – |
| Race | 8 | 2:32:43.753 | +5.382s | 58 | 4 |
However, before he amazed the Aussie crowd at the race in Albert Park, Piastri had underwhelming performances in the pre-race events- sitting in the ’12-and-plus’ spots during the practice and qualifying sessions.
Fast forward at the race, much to everyone’s surprise, the then 21-year-old Piastri crossed the chequered flag at P8 and grabbed away an ‘8-points-scoring’ home debut- despite starting from P16 at the 2023 Aussie Grand Prix.
After his impressive hometown debut in his rookie season, Oscar Piastri is again pumped and looks ready for his second Grand Prix event at Albert Park, which is scheduled for next weekend.
Oscar Piastri reveals his homecoming excitement
In a recent interview, the McLaren’s #2, Oscar Piastri revealed his excitement for the upcoming 2024 Australian Grand Prix in his hometown city of Melbourne, and expressed quite the motivation to put forth a ‘Deja vu’ for the spectators at Albert Park.
During the media session, the Aussie reflected on his ’23 race at Melbourne, by saying, “It was a pretty crazy race last year but to score my first-ever F1 points in front of a home crowd will stay with me for a long time.”
“It is such a special event for me. Not only is it my home country but to have grown up so close to the track and coming back to my hometown is awesome. Even on a Thursday, there are so many people in the grounds and getting involved that it has a festival feel,” Piastri said.
Emphasizing on his racing passion at his hometown, he concluded, by telling, “As drivers, we do feel that. We aren’t able to get out to every part of the circuit, but that passion is felt and makes a huge difference.”
At this year’s Australian GP, Piastri will also be joined by Western Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo, who will be driving for the newly-branded Visa Cash App RB team (formerly AlphaTauri), making it two Aussies on their home grid for the first time in more than a decade. Oscar is now touring his hometown before he takes on the Melbourne GP Circuit on 24th March at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Can Piastri snatch away the win at his hometown at the Australian Grand Prix? Or will he put forth just another ‘point-scoring’ show at Albert Park? Or will he fail to grab a point this time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
