McLaren gives Piastri plenty of chance to prepare for first F1 season

Just over a week after his first time in the McLaren F1 car, Oscar Piastri gets back behind the wheel of the MCL35M. On the Wednesday after the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, Piastri is testing for his new team in Barcelona.

The Australian will debut a full season in Formula 1 next year. Piastri replaces compatriot Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren and will drive alongside Lando Norris. After an eventful run of business, Piastri jumped from Alpine to McLaren and there he will likely face Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly next year, who are with the team where he spent his 'junior years'.

Alpine beat McLaren in 2022 by just 14 points, so Piastri is in a position to make a difference. The team is giving him plenty of chances and opportunities to best prepare for that fight. A week after his first laps at McLaren in Abu Dhabi, the Australian is already behind the wheel of the McLaren at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.