Five moments that have shaped Piastri’s career
Saturday, 3 September 2022
The Australian has an impressive resume.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, the journey to Formula 1® for Oscar Piastri was destined to be met with challenges that would need to be overcome. How one deals with what is in front of them – especially an athlete – goes a long way to determine whether they have what it takes to be the best.
In this article, we look back at some defining moments in the Australian’s career that led to his promotion into the premier class series.
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2017 Vice Champion – British F4 Championship
Oscar made his single-seater debut in 2017 when he drove for the Dragon F4 team in selected rounds of the Formula 4 UAE Championships. During this season, he claimed two podiums and finished sixth in the championship.
Later that year, he joined TRS Arden Junior Team’s line-up for the British F4 championship. The series – held across the United Kingdom – consisted of 30 races spanning ten rounds. A mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers competed in F4 cars conformed to standard regulations.
Piastri would go on to finish runner-up in the championship with an impressive six wins and six pole positions. Current Formula 2® driver Logan Sargeant finished third.
2018 – Formula Renault Eurocup
After a successful rookie year in the British F4 Championship, Piastri moved up to the Formula Renault Eurocup with Arden Motorsport. The open-wheel series is held across Europe and ventures to ten current or former F1® circuits.
Joining fellow Australian drivers Alex Peroni and Thomas Maxwell, Piastri took two victories that year, both at Hockenheim in the ninth round.
In his year of the Formula Renault Eurocup, Piastri finished eighth and was highly sought after for the following year after his strong performances late in the season.
2019 Champion – Formula Renault Eurocup
As a proven race winner, it wasn’t surprising that reigning team champions R-ace GP came knocking for the services of Piastri for the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup season.
The series would be a little different in 2019 when compared to 2018, with the championship set to utilise a Formula 3® chassis for the first time and a new 1.8-litre turbocharged engine. The replacement of Michelin tyres for Hankook Tires would also come into effect.
It wasn’t long before Piastri showed why he was such a sought-after prospect, winning both races at Silverstone in the season’s second round. He would go on to win a further five races at Spa, Nürburgring, Hungaroring and Yas Marina.
Despite being listed as Australian on the entry lists, Oscar raced under a British racing license meaning a British flag was raised above the podium, and the British anthem played after his wins.
The championship came down to the final round in Yas Marina, with Oscar and current F3® driver Victor Martins fighting for the title. Piastri finished fourth in the last race, enough to hold Martins off for the title.
2020 Champion – FIA Formula 3
Oscar’s performances in the Formula Renault Eurocup over the previous two seasons gave confidence to the FIA Formula 3® teams that he was ready to perform strongly in the feeder series to F1®.
The single-seat open-wheel cars featured a 3.4-litre engine that all conformed to the technical regulations of the championship. The series served as a sister series to Formula 2® and was the third tier of formula racing in the FIA Global Pathway.
At 18 years of age, Oscar was announced as the final driver to join the reigning team champions PREMA Racing. Fellow Australians Alex Peroni, Jack Doohan, and Calan Williams would all join him on the grid.
The season started strongly for Piastri with a victory in the first race at the Red Bull Ring. A series of consecutive second-place finishes followed before car issues, and a retirement wreaked havoc on the middle part of the year.
Although the Melbourne-born driver didn’t collect as many race victories as in previous years, consistent finishes at the top half of the field meant he could scrape through with enough points to take the driver’s title in a tough-fought battle. Only four points separated Piastri (164 points) in first, Théo Pourchaire (161 points) in second and Logan Sargeant (160 points) in third.
2021 Champion – FIA Formula 2
Oscar needed only one season in F3® to prove his value, and he was promoted by PREMA Racing to their FIA Formula 2® team, replacing Mick Schumacher, who had graduated to Formula 1®.
Oscar’s 2021 might have been his best yet, showing a maturity that is only ever seen by some of the best drivers. He achieved a podium finish in every one of the eleven rounds of the season, claimed six fastest laps, five pole positions and six race victories. Such was the strength of his season; he took the driver’s championship crown with two races to go.
Being crowned the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup champion, 2020 FIA Formula 3® champion, and 2021 FIA Formula 2® champion in three consecutive years put him in elite company. Only George Russell and Charles Leclerc earned similar consecutive feats in modern formula racing.
IT’S OFFICIAL! ✍️@OscarPiastri has signed with @McLarenF1 and becomes Australia's newest #F1 driver 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/IlO9f25GdC
— F1 Australian Grand Prix (@ausgrandprix) September 2, 2022
