Oscar Piastri Similar To Fernando Alonso Suggests Stella

Wednesday, 13 December 2023 at 05:00

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella compared his driver, Oscar Piastri, to the double World Champion Fernando Alonso.

Oscar Piastri finished his rookie season in Formula One three weeks ago, and it is safe to say he left a good impression not only on his team but also on all F1 experts and fans.

The Aussie driver almost broke Lewis Hamilton's record for the most points scored in a rookie season and was awarded the Rookie of the Year 2023 at the FIA Gala.

The 22-year-old stands out from the crowd with his extreme calmness and prudence. McLaren's team principal, Andrea Stella, told Dazn about the Australian:

“"Oscar is talented and let me say intelligent. His brain capabilities are very high. He has very interesting characteristics. I would say that he is very calm."”

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Piastri himself acknowledged none of his achievements would have been possible had he not had the competitive car provided by his team.

On the other hand, the car is only one side of the equation, and every team needs a driver who is capable of delivering results with it. Stella compared Piastri to the Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso.

“"I think that in Oscar, I see his powerful mind. He is definitely like Fernando. He can do mathematical calculations while driving."”

Alonso is viewed as the kind of a driver who uses only one percent of his brain on the actual driving, which allows him to use the remaining 99 percent on the race strategy and various calculations. Being compared to the double World Champion is a great compliment for Piastri.

The team principal recently named the top three drivers on the grid in 2023. While his list didn't include Piastri because he still still to gain experience, it did include the Spanish Matador. Stella said about Alonso:

“"When we talk about being the most complete, I definitely think of Fernando Alonso. He basically has no weaknesses. I think this makes him unique. He is not the best in many things, but he is very strong in all of them."”