Oscar Piastri Deemed 'Best Rookie In Formula 1 Since Max Verstappen'

Monday, 09 October 2023 at 12:00

Updated at Tuesday, 10 October 2023 at 22:40

McLaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri was declared the best rookie in Formula One since Max Verstappen by Dutch commentator Olav Mol.

Ever since joining the McLaren team to replace Daniel Ricciardo for the season 2023, Oscar Piastri has been proving to everybody that McLaren made the right decision.

From the beginning of the season, Piastri has been constantly giving great and consistent performances, qualification after qualification, and race after race.

The young Australian has multiple times been an equal teammate to more experienced Lando Norris - something that is not expected from a rookie during their first season.

The McLaren team showed satisfaction with Piastri’s performances when the driver already got his contract extended until the end of season 2026. A well-known Dutch commentator, Olav Mol, told Ziggo Sport about Piastri:

“He is the best rookie in Formula 1 since Verstappen. He belongs in that same category. McLaren is in a very comfortable position for the future because they have two excellent and young drivers.”

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The Australian has been able to measure up to Norris multiple times during qualifying. However, Norris has had the upper hand on Piastri throughout most races. Mol elaborated:

"Norris still seems better over long runs with his experience, so it will take some more time for Piastri. But he is someone who has the potential to compete for titles in the future. I’m very sure of that."

Piastri won his first race during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix Sprint race. He also beat his teammate in all parts of the weekend including qualifying, sprint shootout, sprint, and the main race where he finished again on the podium in second place.

Winning a race in a rookie season is truly something unique that not many drivers have achieved. Piastri joins a club of legendary drivers like Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Villeneuve, and Lewis Hamilton.