Sprint winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren, 2nd placed Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and third placed Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren pose for a photo with their trophies and Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the Formula One Group, and Mohammed ben Sulayem, FIA President, in parc ferme after the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on October 07, 2023 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Mark Thompson | Getty Images)
Oscar Piastri was the rookie sensation of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The Australian driver surprised fans with his amazing performance during his first year in the sport. Even though he did not have quite the dream start to his career, he still managed to come on top, delivering a performance worthy of a future World Champion.
McLaren started the season with the left foot, being at the bottom of the standings and not being able to finish in the points for the first races. Piastri’s first F1 result was a DNF after his engine cut out in the pit lane, cutting his first race short as he was just 17 laps in.
By the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was the second race of the season, the young driver found himself P17 in the standings. Piastri showed the first glimpses of his talent behind the wheel. In qualifying, he managed to get to Q3 and qualify P8 at Jeddah. On Saturday, after having contact with Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, he still managed to finish ahead of his teammate, Lando Norris, even earning praise from former F1 World Champion, Nico Rosberg.
“I have been very impressed this weekend with Oscar,” Rosberg said during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast. “It’s the ultimate challenge for a rookie to come in and be up against Lando, especially when the car is so difficult and bad to drive. A really solid weekend.”
Luck soon smiled at Piastri as he scored his first points in F1 at his home Grand Prix even after starting P16 on the grid. After a chaotic race, both McLarens managed to score points, the rookie scoring four points while Norris scored eight. This marked the start of Pistari’s rise in the driver standings as well as McLaren’s in the constructor standings.
The 2023 British Grand Prix was named as the race where McLaren’s comeback took place. At their home Grand Prix, they managed to deliver a performance to the British crowd throughout the entire weekend. On qualifying day, Pistari was one of the fastest on track, even having provisional pole at some point during Q2. After Q3, he managed to secure third place on the starting grid behind then two-time and defending world champion, Max Verstappen, and Norris, his teammate.
On Sunday, the young rookie did not stay out of the fight, being quick enough to have wheel-to-wheel action with Verstappen for the second position. This shocked the spectators, as Piastri secured fourth place, missing out the podium but still managing to get an outstanding result at just his 10th Grand Prix.
The Sprint race on Belgium was another moment of brilliance from the Aussie. He managed to get the second starting position at the Sprint Shootout, just behind Verstappen. At the sprint, he even took the lead, becoming the first rookie to lead a race since Esteban Gutierrez in 2013. Piastri crossed the checkered flag in second place, the first, and definitely, not the last time the rookie would be in the top three.
Piastri’s weekend at the Singapore Grand Prix was another clear proof that he had the pace of a future world champion. This was one of his best performances as he started the race in P17 after Lance Stroll caused a red flag on qualifying, not allowing him to finish his lap. After some masterclass overtaking and outstanding race craft, the Aussie managed to make an amazing comeback, crossing the finish line in seventh place.
The 2023 Qatar Sprint was Piastri’s best performance of the entire year. He managed to secure the pole position at the Sprint Shootout, with Norris and Verstappen behind him. The Sprint started and it was not looking good for Piastri, who was on the mediums.
Mercedes driver, George Russell, took the lead from Piastri, who feared the tyre choice had been the wrong one. But soon, the rookie felt the race coming back to him, as he regained the lead from Russell.
After some stressful laps and some help from the Safety Cars, Piastri managed to get his maiden F1 win at the same time as Verstappen claiming his third world title.
2023 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates with Sprint winner Oscar Piastri of Australia and McLaren in parc ferme during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit on October 07, 2023 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Clive Rose | Getty Images)
“I’m very happy. It was a very stressful race! When I saw all the soft [tyre] guys come through at the start, I thought we were in a bit of trouble, but then their tyres fell off pretty quickly – that was good,” Piastri told the media after the race. “Safety Cars were my friend today, definitely once Max got behind me, but the pace was reasonable… I think in a race where you had to manage a lot, the tyres, cars on other compounds, I think we did a really good job.”
Things were just about to get better for the rookie as F1 arrived to the Japanese Grand Prix. Piastri had put on an outstanding performance since Saturday, as he started the race from second. And on Sunday, just on his 16th race in F1, he clinched his maiden podium in F1.
“It feels pretty special definitely. I will remember it for a very, very long time. I can’t thank the team enough for giving me this opportunity,” Piastri said after the race. “There are not many people who get this opportunity in their whole life and I’ve managed to have it in my first season.”
However, despite the praise and applauses he got, Piastri was not fully satisfied with his performance. During the race, he was put under pressure by Norris and eventually let him pass on Lap 27, allowing the Brit to take the second position from him.
“It wasn’t my best race ever but it was enough to get a trophy at the end, so super happy,” Piastri said as he reflected on his race.
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL60 Mercedes and Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL60 Mercedes going into the first corner at the start of the race during the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on September 24, 2023 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Mark Thompson | Getty Images)
Piastri claimed the title of ‘Rookie of the Year’ at the end of the 2023 season, showing an amazing development and raw talent throughout the entire year. The spectators even calling him “one of the best rookies since Lewis Hamilton”, seven-time world champion.
There is absolutely no doubt that Pistari is world champion material as he keeps proving that he was born to drive in F1. Piastri signed a contract with McLaren until 2026 and time will tell how much more this amazing driver has to offer to the sport.
