Oscar Piastri, like anyone else on the Formula One grid, understands how quickly dominance can fade. He is approaching his unexpected early season furlough with confidence that McLaren can compete with Mercedes when racing resumes.
The Australian had a calamitous start to the season, crashing on his way to the grid in his home Grand Prix in Melbourne and then failing to start in China because of an electrical issue with his car.
In round 3 in Japan, however, Piastri finished second behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, providing fans with a timely reminder of the quality that had him 34 points clear in the title race after 15 rounds last season.
The crisis in the Middle East has forced the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix off the schedule for now, leaving the Formula One caravan grounded for the best part of a month until racing resumes in Miami in early May.
Piastri, who turned 25 on Monday, views the pause in the season as an opportunity for his McLaren team to get to work figuring out how to close the gap with Mercedes, who have won all three grands prix and the China sprint so far this year.
“Obviously the off-season this year was very short so it’s a nice little window for everyone to get some good training in,” he said in a video posted on social media this week.
We did everything right this weekend and we were beaten by 15 seconds, so we’ve got a pretty big gap to fill. I’m confident we can get there — but we’ve got some work to do
— Oscar Piastri
“More time to prepare, basically. I think we’ve learnt a lot in the first few races and plenty more to learn, so just give us more time to analyse stuff, sit down, digest it and try and come back stronger for Miami.”
Piastri, who is in his third season in Formula One, was on Wednesday named Australia’s top-earning sportsperson by the Sydney Morning Herald with an estimated income of between A$57m and A$59m (R661m-R684m).
His marketability soared last year when he won seven of the first 15 races in the then-dominant McLaren and threatened to end Australia’s long wait for a world champion, which enters its 46th year this season.
In the end, the wins stopped coming, and his teammate Lando Norris took the crown, with Max Verstappen’s late season surge for Red Bull relegating the Australian to third in the final standings.
It was a humbling experience for Piastri, but one he has clearly learnt from as McLaren look to close the clear performance gap Mercedes have opened up under the new regulations this season.
“We know from last year that even when you have the best car you need to operate it at an incredibly high level,” he said after holding off the Mercedes of George Russell at times in his run to the Suzuka podium.
“I think it’s interesting to see when someone else has the fastest car that it’s not that straightforward. I think the fact that I could keep George behind for so long was encouraging, but we’re under no illusion.
“We did everything right this weekend and we were beaten by 15 seconds, so we’ve got a pretty big gap to fill. I’m confident we can get there — but we’ve got some work to do.”
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Reuters
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