Piastri is convinced he is 'ruthless' enough to succeed in F1
F1 News
Oscar Piastri has quickly turned into one of the fastest drivers in Formula 1. No matter his result, the 23-year-old always emerges from his car with a calm, controlled and sometimes dry demeanour. This has, of course, caused some to wonder whether Piastri has what it takes to push the limits, like glittering Formula 1 figures Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton previously have. He insists, however, that he has all the fiery elements it takes to succeed when it truly matters.
Despite only having a season and a half of experience under his belt, the young Australian has excelled at McLaren and secured his maiden race victory in Hungary in July. Last time out in Belgium, the Australian finished second. He has four podiums in the first 14 races. Piastri has put himself in a position where he can battle his experienced teammate Lando Norris, but can he beat his teammate?
“Just because I'm calm doesn't mean I'm not ruthless,” Piastri explained to Sky Sports. "There's been a lot of tough situations throughout my career where you need to get your elbows out. I think I said last year, I don't want to be seen as a pest on track, but you have to earn your respect.
"I feel like that's something that I've done and tried to race people hard but fair. I definitely think I'm ruthless enough, but it doesn't have to come at the expense of being calm and a nice person as well,” the Australian said.
Piastri's character shines through on social media. His savvy sense of humour has always made his fans laugh.
'You need the odd moment of rage to succeed'
So, what are the benefits of staying calm in the car? "Maybe it came a bit more naturally than it does for some others, but it was still a conscious effort to try and make sure I'm always in that (calm) headspace. Because there are still moments, when motorsport can be pretty frustrating at the best of times, so I would say, a combination of just how I kind of am naturally, and then also having a conscious effort to keep it that way and just be a professional," Piastri told the Going Purple podcast.
His calmness was personified after his maiden victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix. His win was tainted by McLaren's disorganisation, as the team pleaded with Norris, who was leading at the time, to let teammate Piastri pass. After the race and as always, Piastri remained mature and professional about the situation.
“I think a lot of people think I'm very calm, which I think I am, but I still have my moments.
“You need the odd moment of rage here and there. Some people think I'm like, complete flat line, but I do have my moments.” The McLaren driver concluded. Due to the speed of the MCL38, Piastri is sure to be fighting for race victories for the remainder of the season. Will the Australian star show us, once again, that he can push when it really matters?