THE NEW ICE MAN

He tasted victory, of sorts, in the sprint race in Qatar in 2023, but as Edd Straw sets out, Oscar Piastri should be popping corks more frequently- and soon, if his McLaren progress continues

- Edd Straw

Oscar Piastri is the cool, calm centre of the Formula 1 universe. The Australian meets triumph, disaster and everything between with a laconic deadpan, casting him as the natural heir to Kimi Räikkönen’s ‘Ice Man’ crown. Whether at the middle of a headline-making contractual maelstrom even before he started a grand prix, keeping Max Verstappen at bay to win last year’s Qatar sprint or reacting to rare on-track mistakes, Piastri appears serene. Were you building a racing driver from scratch, his tranquil intensity would be an ideal foundation. 

He’s also seriously fast, last year translating a glittering junior category CV into podium finishes and the best rookie season since Charles Leclerc back in 2018. His speed troubled highly rated McLaren team-mate Lando Norris at times, contributing to McLaren agreeing a new long-term deal to keep Piastri on until the end of 2026 last September, just 15 months after grabbing him from under the nose of Alpine. As the 23-yearold’s experience builds, Piastri will only get stronger, perhaps with the ultimate potential even to eclipse Norris.

"I'm pretty relaxed, most of the time. It comes with experience in motor sport"

For now, Piastri is focused on packing his own databanks with as much knowledge as possible so that he’s the finished article by the time McLaren re-emerges as a title-challenging force. He describes his second season to date as a mix of “some good moments and some not-so-good moments”, reflecting the burning ambition within that he must keep under control as he traverses the learning curve. Piastri the interview subject reflects the man behind the wheel, collected and unexcited, but also effective in conveying his message. That’s just who he is.