Oscar Piastri pinpoints one thing he didn’t expect from Formula 1 journey

Oscar Piastri has admitted that the fame that accompanied his F1 rise was unexpected.

Piastri, 23, has already established himself as one of Formula 1’s most exciting starlets for the future midway through his second season.

While he arrived into the high-pressure environment of F1 prepared to thrive, he was less ready for what would happen off-track.

“You can get advice on how to deal with the media and work with sponsors, but fame is really something that you can’t be taught about,” Piastri told Forbes.

“There’s no guidebook. It’s one thing to be recognized at the track - that’s expected.

“The biggest thing that surprised me really, it was just like how many people started to recognize me off the track in regular life.”

Australia’s Piastri took the McLaren seat from his better-known compatriot Daniel Ricciardo at the end of 2022.

Two podiums in his first year paved the way for a brilliant season to date in 2024.

Piastri won his maiden F1 grand prix in Hungary, on top of three other podium finishes as McLaren roared to the front of the grid.

The steady growth of the F1 team has raised Piastri’s hope that they could explode out of the blocks when the new regulations begin.

“Changes to the engine – which will happen in 2026 – can introduce differences,” he said.

“So, there will be a large margin for improvement for the teams over time.

“History has shown that there's normally one team that gets it right more than the others initially.

“It wouldn't be a total surprise to see if one team kind of comes out ahead in ‘26. Hopefully, that's us. But we'll wait and see.”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has already shut the door to Adrian Newey, the outgoing Red Bull chief technical officer whose availability is causing a scramble between front-running teams.

Brown’s insistence that he won’t sign Newey is a show of faith in McLaren’s development.

Andrea Stella has penned a new deal to remain as team principal.

“I think it's very, very important to have stability, especially with such a key person like the team principal,” Piastri reacted.

“He's been an incredible leader for us for the last year and a half.”