Piastri confident ahead of F1 baptism
Rookie McLaren driver Oscar Piastri Sunday said he believed he could beat new teammate Lando Norris in his maiden Formula One season, but admitted a steep learning curve awaited him.
The 21-year-old, seen as one of the sport's hottest young talents, will make his bow in Bahrain testing this month after replacing fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo, who has returned to Red Bull as a reserve driver.
Piastri said he had confidence in his ability to better Britain's Norris, but was also realistic about expectations.
Asked if he could beat Norris, Piastri told Australian national broadcaster ABC: "Yeah, I think so.
"I think everyone has to have that self-belief that they can win, or if they're not in a position to win to do the best that they can with what they have."
But the Australian said his main focus in 2023 was to set the foundations for a long F1 career.
"Putting (points and wins) numbers on my expectations is pretty difficult, especially in F1, I think it will depend where we are as a team, where the car is at," he said.
"For me, a successful year would be me setting the foundations for later in the year and the years to come, hopefully, and doing everything the right way from the beginning... starting good habits.
"If there's any results that come out of that, then that's a bonus."
Piastri was caught in a tug-of-war between Alpine – where he was a reserve driver – and McLaren last year with the former claiming he was contracted to them, even announcing him as part of their 2023 line-up.
But the Australian forced them into an embarrassing U-turn when he said he had no such arrangement.
An International Motoring Federation (FIA) arbitration panel judged in McLaren's favour, which saw the under-performing Ricciardo's contract terminated a year early so Piastri could join.
Piastri received plenty of negative publicity at the time and told ABC there had been "not too much" contact with Ricciardo since.
But he said he was grateful for the way his fellow Australian handled the situation.
"We got in touch through texts I guess once everything had unfolded last year and he was very supportive of me both personally and on the media front as well... which I'm very thankful for," he said.
"I'm sure I will see him around in the F1 paddock this year, he's back working with Red Bull."
Piastri's credentials face their first test at the opening race of the season in Bahrain in two weeks' time, before a huge occasion at his home Grand Prix in Melbourne, where he was born, on April 2.
"I grew up 10-15 minutes down the road from Albert Park," he said of the Australian Formula One circuit which will host the third race of the 2023 season.
"I was there last year as a reserve driver and it was a pretty electric atmosphere. So knowing that the crowd is going to be there, with me as the home driver now. It's going to be a very special event.”
相关文章
The Best AMD Ryzen Gaming Laptops (So Far)
As a culmination to our testing of Ryzen Mobile 4000-H processors and the various laptops they are f2024-09-22The best advice to read if you're struggling to quit a job you hate
You know you’re on the wrong career path, but can’t pull yourself away. To do so would b2024-09-22N. Korea closes diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, DR Congo: reports
A police car stands in front of the North Korean embassy in Madrid, March 28, 2019. Reuters-YonhapIn2024-09-22[Photo News] Singapore unveils commemorative coins for NK
The Singapore Mint on Tuesday unveiled gold, silver and base-metal medallions to commemorate the upc2024-09-22Best smart home deals this week
Our top picks:Best smart speaker dealEcho Dot (5th gen) with a free Sengled Smart Color Bulb$49.99 a2024-09-22N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward East Sea, but launch apparently failed: S. Korean military
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the test firing of a2024-09-22
最新评论