Oscar Piastri, who competed in the youth series, won consecutive titles in Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Formula 2, and last year, having already made his debut in Formula 1 with McLaren, he won the sprint and stood twice on the stage.
For the first time, he managed to finish in the top three at the Japanese Grand Prix, on a difficult and fast circuit in Suzuka, and although everyone judged his performance as very successful, Oscar himself was not inclined to exaggerate its significance. performance. He then took third place, behind sole race winner Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, his teammate.
“I always try to focus on the next session or the next stage of the season and aim to achieve the maximum. At the end of the next weekend you always know if you did it right,” the Australian publication Speedcafe quotes Piastri. – For example, last year in Japan the McLaren car was definitely the second fastest, and we can say that reaching the podium after Perez retired became our minimum target.
When your car is only the third or fourth fastest, but you still manage to get on the podium, you experience completely different emotions, while the result is exactly the same.
Japan, where I achieved my first podium finish, was certainly not one of my top three races of the season – maybe not even top five, although I had one of my best results there. Sometimes the result itself does not reflect the whole picture of the weekend as it seems to you personally.”
Of the 776 drivers who ever started in Formula 1, 113 reached the top of the podium, and only 34 became world champions. less than 5%. But now such statistics occupy the least of Oscar Piastri’s thoughts.
“I try not to think about it,” said the 22-year-old Australian. – Formula 1 is a sport in which a lot depends not only on the driver, but also on the car. If you drive the slowest car you will never win a race or a championship, so it’s that simple. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you want to achieve this, nothing will work out.
Therefore, dreams of victories, instead of playing a constructive role, can be demoralizing. If you can really compete for third place, then get going, hit the track and finish in the top three. When you focus completely on these types of tasks, you experience a greater sense of pride and joy.
If your car doesn’t allow you to fight for victories, and you know this for sure, then I don’t think there’s any point in dreaming about it.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
