According to Oscar Piastri, he was not prepared for the increased attention that comes with being a Formula 1 driver, especially when he achieves success.
The Australian made his World Championship debut with McLaren last year and has made impressive and consistent progress since, reaching the podium six times and winning his first Grand Prix in Hungary last month.
On the one hand, he quickly adapted to the paddock atmosphere and the inevitable stress, but it proved much more difficult to get used to other features of a Formula 1 driver’s life, namely fame.
“You see, they can advise you on how to work with the press and sponsors, but no one will teach you how to react to fame and glory,” he told Forbes in an interview. “There are no textbooks on this subject. It’s one thing to be recognized on the track: it’s completely expected. But what surprised me the most was that many people started to recognize me in everyday life outside the track.”
At the same time, Oscar quickly got used to the extremely busy and intense schedule – it consists not only of racing, but also of training and work on the simulator at McLaren’s base in Woking.
“The work schedule depends to some extent on the simulator training,” he continued. – Usually they take place in the week before the race. Sometimes you have to work on the simulator on Tuesday, then you have to train on Monday. So I fly to Woking on Tuesday to practice on the simulator, and then I have time to practice on Wednesday, and then go to the track that same evening or Thursday morning – the day we talk to the press.
But if the race is in Australia or somewhere in Asia, for example, it is better to fly there in advance, say last weekend, to easily adapt to the change in time zones, and then we work on the simulator for that.”
After the first 14 stages of the season, Oscar is in 4th place in the championship, with 167 points – and is only 10 points behind Charles Leclerc. But lately he has been winning them much faster than the Ferrari driver, and if this continues, Piastri will soon reach the top three.
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.
