Oscar Piastri compared to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen as F1 testing begins

23 February 2023 , 10:57

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Oscar Piastri will make his F1 debut for McLaren this year (Image: Getty Images)

Oscar Piastri is under pressure "for a reason" ahead of his Formula 1 debut as commentators compared his situation to those of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen before him.

The Aussie is one of three drivers coming into their rookie F1 seasons this year. But neither of the other two have had quite as much focus upon them as the weeks and days tick down to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Part of it is, undoubtedly, that he is racing for a team with strong ambition in McLaren. But the main cause of all the interest in Piastri is the way in which he joined his new team from the Alpine academy, in the stand-out story from 2022 silly season.

He was the first to take to the track for McLaren in pre-season testing on Thursday. While out on track, those commentating on the TV coverage couldn't help but get into a discussion about what the season might hold for a man who turned heads in all the junior categories.

Will Buxton started it by asking: "Is he going to regret turning down Alpine? It's a serious question. Also, how much pressure is on this kid this year? Can you remember a time when a rookie came in with more expectation? In this era of limited testing... since Lewis, I don't think there's been a driver where there has been as much expectation placed on him."

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Former Renault racer Jolyon Palmer replied: "I would put [him] in the category of Verstappen – coming in as a 17-year-old, that was pressure as well. Because he was promoted so quickly, one year of car racing and then in Formula 1."

Piastri was an Alpine junior but left for their midfield rivals McLaren last year (Getty Images)

After Buxton pointed out that McLaren are looking to "punch for podiums" with Piastri and Lando Norris behind the wheel, Palmer added: "As a caveat for the pressure – yes, there's huge pressure, but if we're thinking the two others in recent times that have been under this level of pressure coming into Formula 1 are Hamilton and Verstappen, that's good company.

"There's pressure for a reason for Oscar Piastri – he hasn't raced in anything and not won the championship since 2018, when he finished eighth in Formula Renault Eurocar. Then he won it in '19, won F3 in 2020, won Formula 2 in 2021, he's won everything coming through."

Lead commentator Alex Jacques then weighed in: "The impressive thing about that run of championships that he had, the Formula 3 season was about 70 days long and then the Formula 2 season there's this slightly odd format where there's huge gaps in the calendar with three races and then nothing for a couple of months.

Piastri will race alongside Lando Norris at McLaren this year (AP)

"So Formula 3 won in a flurry and Formula 2 won over a really long time, so I think he impressed a lot of people with the manner that he did so. Then, that year on the sidelines."

And speaking from experience, Palmer concluded: "I don't think that was too bad. For Piastri, he was embedded in Alpine and, for the first half of last year, was doing a lot of running in an old car for them. So he's actually had a lot of Formula 1 experience, just not current car experience.

"This time last year he was doing the reserve driver thing with Alpine and was fairly chipper about it – that obviously soured last year when he joined McLaren.

"I think the pressure for him just comes from that really high-profile contract fallout with Alpine. He went to McLaren, made a song and dance about it and the hype is there, so he's got to deliver. But I think the year out was neither here nor there for him."

Daniel Moxon