Piastri and the comparison with Alonso and Schumacher: “It’s interesting to hear what their weaknesses were”

At just 24 years old and 60 Grand Prix races in Formula 1, Oscar Piastri is proving to be more than ready to compete for the World Championship in the category. In fact, he is the current leader with a nine-point advantage over his teammate in McLaren, the much more experienced Lando Norris.

This has led Andrea Stella, the director of the British team, to praise Oscar Piastri, comparing him to two legends with whom the Italian previously worked: Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.

Stella, a former member of Ferrari, believes that the Australian is competing at a level comparable to that of the champions. Moreover, he thinks that Piastri has the “natural talent, attitude, culture, and values” of Schumacher, but also the ability to offer “continuous improvements” like Alonso.

“There are many specific aspects of fighting for a championship that are a bit different from when you’re not, so his advice has been very useful”

Piastri reacts to Stella's words

As expected, Oscar Piastri has positively valued the words of his boss at McLaren, acknowledging that “it’s interesting to hear how those drivers were because, especially people like Michael [Schumacher] and Fernando [Alonso], with whom Andrea [Stella] has worked, are not exactly bad drivers”.

“So it’s always interesting to hear what makes them good and, in some cases, what their weaknesses were,” Piastri continues. “I think that knowing that these people, who won multiple world championships, still had weaknesses is good”.

Piastri is aware that he also has his weaknesses, but that professionals in Formula 1 consider him comparable to some of the great legends fills him with pride. “I think I’m not a perfect driver. I don’t think there’s anyone perfect, but being compared to some of the best who have raced in F1 is very positive”, he states.

The influence of Mark Webber

Oscar Piastri has also spoken about the influence that another renowned driver is having on his professional career. This is Mark Webber, his manager and former Formula 1 driver, who was a candidate for the World Championship with Red Bull against Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso in 2010.

“It’s very useful to have Mark [Webber] close,” Piastri points out about his compatriot. “Obviously, he has also been in a title battle like this, so I think some emotions probably come back. His advice is very useful, not only in the championship fight but since we started working together.”

“I think there are many specific aspects of fighting for a championship that are a bit different from when you’re not, so his advice has been very useful”, Piastri reiterates. “I’ve also been able to rely on my own experience in the junior categories. It’s a bit different in Formula 1, but I’ve also been able to rely on that. So yes, Mark has been a great help,” he concludes.

Fuente: Crash.netFotos: McLaren Racing