Red Bull's motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, has highlighted Oscar Piastri as having the potential to become "a truly great driver," praising his consistent performance.
Why it Matters
Marko believes Piastri is the stronger of McLaren’s two drivers, citing the young Australian’s consistency and composure. Despite Lando Norris potentially being faster per lap, Marko sees Piastri as the overall stronger contender, noting, “Piastri has the nerve, is more consistent, and always gets the best out of himself.” Piastri currently leads the drivers’ championship by nine points over Norris in the current F1 season.
The Big Picture
Piastri’s career has been meteoric, winning Formula Regional, Formula 3, and Formula 2 titles consecutively. Since joining McLaren in 2023, he has built a reputation for steadily improving through race weekends and remaining calm under pressure. His low-risk approach has resulted in the fourth-longest points-scoring streak in F1 history, spanning 40 races since the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. He was also the only driver to complete every racing lap in the 2024 season.
This development is evident in his qualifying performance, an area previously considered a weak point. In the current F1 season, he leads the internal qualifying battle against Norris (6-8 in races, 6-11 including Sprints). Marko observed, "Piastri has had an incredible career and is improving year after year. He had some major fluctuations last year, depending on the track. That’s no longer the case."
Looking Ahead
While acknowledging Piastri's immense potential, Marko maintains that Max Verstappen remains in a league of his own. "But Verstappen is Verstappen. He [Piastri] still has a long way to go. The potential to become a truly great driver is there, though."
Piastri himself remains pragmatic about the championship points, even after finishing second to Norris at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He downplays the significance of small point differences, stating, “I’m not really that fussed with that. I think the pace for the first half of the year has been very, very strong, and I think the last few races as well have been very good.” The F1 season will resume with the Dutch Grand Prix from August 29-31.