2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri is on the rise at McLaren this season. The Australian rookie struggled with a poorly performing car in his first season, but a comprehensive update package has given the MCL60 a huge boost to its competitiveness. This package gave Lando Norris two second places in Britain and Hungary, and gave Piastri a chance to finish in the top three in the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race before the summer break.
According to team principal Andrea Stella, Piastri's outstanding performances in recent years are fully in line with what the team saw in his first season, and the 22-year-old is now equipped to transform his form into tangible results.
"I think where he's at now is part of the slope we've seen from the very beginning in testing and early races," said Stella. said. “I don't think Piastri's progress is really accelerating. I think he just benefited from the car being more competitive, so there's more opportunity to show what he can do."
Stella says Piastri is acting like an experienced pilot with his mature performance in difficult conditions.
Stella said, “The interesting point about Oscar is that he makes this whole thing seem simple.” said. "It makes pitting in these conditions seem simple, leading the race, going from wet to dry conditions and never making mistakes."
“I think this is the most impressive thing I've ever witnessed. He achieves all this in a way that is quite unique in terms of how calm and thoughtful he is, really impressive so far.”
