Pursuing a World Championship in Formula 1 “appears akin” to competing for titles in the junior ranks, suggests Oscar Piastri, emphasizing that his in-house competition with McLaren teammate Lando Norris constitutes the primary distinguishing element.
Piastri secured victories in the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup, 2020 Formula 3, and 2021 Formula 2 seasons consecutively, followed by a year as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2022, before stepping up to F1 with McLaren the subsequent year.
During his championship-winning F3 season, he vied for top honors alongside Prema teammate Logan Sargeant – although the dynamics in the lower tiers are vastly different; essentially, each driver competes individually, having typically financed their entry.
The Australian elaborated on the adjustments in mindset required between each of his junior title campaigns; his F3 season centered on leading from start to finish, whereas his F2 title necessitated adapting to the influence of tire strategy.
Piastri drew parallels between those championships and his present pursuit in F1, where a more extensive team dynamic is involved. According to him, at the highest echelon, the aim is to triumph in every race.
“In numerous respects, it feels quite analogous to championships I’ve contended for previously,” the 24-year-old commented to Autosport. “I believe, for me, the significant contrast is that this marks the first instance I’ve fiercely rivaled a teammate for a championship.
“I competed against Logan Sergeant for the F3 championship, but there’s considerably less complexity before reaching F1. There are no pit stops, no elaborate strategies; it’s solely about going out there and attempting to outperform each other, securing a position ahead.
Watch: Oscar Piastri Exclusive: From Rookie to F1 Title Contender in His Own Words
“In F1, you encounter the added intricacy of strategy. A multitude of diverse elements can impact outcomes, rendering it a rather distinct dynamic in certain aspects.
“It has placed considerable emphasis on specific factors: maintaining the lead before pit stops, assuming risks at particular junctures, refraining from risks. It’s been a somewhat altered mindset in some regards, yet ultimately, the situation I find myself in feels remarkably akin to striving to secure a championship.
“I recognize that the approaches that have proven effective for me in the past haven’t been uniform across every championship, so that’s essentially been my perspective: there isn’t a singular method for attempting it.
“Given our current standing, consistently accumulating points isn’t sufficient. It’s imperative to surpass everyone else, as we’re ultimately vying for first and second positions during numerous weekends.
“And if you consistently secure second place, one might argue that it entails consistently finishing and amassing valuable points, but if the individual in question is consistently winning all the races, then, you know, their performance is equally consistent.”
Piastri further noted that, in contrast to the junior championships, there’s significantly less temptation to compute the points required in each round – F2 features two races per weekend, for instance, although the legacy of the COVID pandemic temporarily elevated that to three in Piastri’s title-winning year as the series alternated with F3.
Regarding the commonly held racing driver adage of approaching it ‘race by race’, Piastri concurred that it’s a somewhat trite phrase – but solely due to its origins in the inherent truth of what it signifies to contend for a title.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Zak Brown, McLaren
Photo by: Andy Hone / LAT Images via Getty Images
“I believe in F1 there’s significantly less enticement [to perform calculations] because there’s solely one race per weekend,” he appended. “In the junior championships, you frequently have two; during that year in F2, we featured three races per weekend.
“Consequently, you can somewhat determine the average, but merely because that transpired in the past doesn’t guarantee its recurrence.
“And I believe the adage, adopting a ‘race by race’ approach, sounds tedious and, in certain respects, is indeed tedious, but it holds considerable truth.
“You cannot concern yourself with the events slated for Abu Dhabi and divert your concentration from your ongoing endeavors during the weekend, particularly at the summit of F1.
“You must consistently be at your peak performance, and any concentration diverted from that entails a diminution of your optimal performance.
“Therefore, as cliché as it may sound, it genuinely revolves around prioritizing the race at hand, endeavoring to amass the greatest number of points.”
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