Following a speedy run at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP, the McLaren speedsters Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are really letting the British team’s orange shade pop out this season. These youngsters are surely striving to continue this hot run at next weekend’s Aussie GP as well.
However, Piastri, right before the race at Melbourne, has delivered some words of concern that show some lack of confidence in him.
Oscar Piastri rarely dares to dream about race win
In a recent interview with Speed Cafe, Oscar Piastri admitted that he ‘rarely dares to dream’ about being successful in Formula 1 at this early start to his career, despite grabbing a sprint win and two podium finishes in his incredible rookie season last year.
In spite of this ‘first-year’ achievements, Piastri is aware of the low possibilities of winning a Championship so early. Reflecting on this, he confessed, by saying “I rarely dare to dream about it.”
“In Formula 1, this sport is still very dependent on both car and driver – a lot of cars. If you’re in the slowest car on the grid, you’re not going to win a race or a championship. It’s as simple as that.”
“No matter how hard you try or want it, it’s not going to happen for you. So, trying to wish those things or dream about them can very easily become demoralizing instead of constructive”, he added.
Instead, the 22-year-old revealed that he tries to master what he can control, with the hope that it will lead him to a position where he’ll be closer to a title. Backing this intention, he said “I’ll get much more pride and happiness out of focusing on those kinds of things.”
“If you can finish third, go ahead then, go out and finish third.”
“But if you’ve clearly not got the car to win a race, I don’t think there’s that much use thinking about it”, he further added, concluding on the topic.
These humble words from Piastri come at a time, when he and his partner, Lando Norris, are taking the fight to the Mercedes drivers, as seen from the opening two rounds of this season.
Oscar Piastri provides assessment of McLaren compared to Mercedes
After two Grand Prix events, the McLaren high-flyers appear to be giving a ‘toe-to-toe’ challenge to the Silverstone Arrow stars, George Russell and the 7x F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. This is crystal-clear in the recent results, where these racers crowded over the ‘P5-to-P8’ spots in Bahrain, while Piastri (P4) leapfrogged both the Mercedes men at the Saudi GP.
During a recent interview, Piastri was asked whether McLaren had a little edge over Mercedes this season. He replied to this by saying, “I think it’s very, very even. I think we have different strengths and weaknesses for sure and I think qualifying made the difference.”
“I think Lewis showed that if we qualify behind them there was a good chance we were going to be stuck behind them for the whole night. So, I think it’s very, very tight between us.”
“And yeah, we need to do some work to try and jump them and catch the two teams ahead”, he added.
Talking about his ‘one-on-one’ duel with Hamilton, he confessed that the MCL38 lacked the straight-line speed that was necessary to overtake the Mercedes W15.
Reflecting on his struggles to overtake the Briton, he said “I think it kind of just showed a couple of weaknesses of ours, definitely. But yeah, just didn’t quite have enough on the straights, mainly to get past.”
“We struggled for a straight-line speed so that was the best issue tonight,” he concluded, pointing out McLaren biggest weakness this season.
As for now, Oscar Piastri will again take on the Mercedes men at Albert Park on 24th March for the 2024 Australian GP.
Is Piastri lying about his ‘rarely dare to dream’ philosophy? Will he be able to overtake Hamilton again at the Alber Park this weekend? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
