Stella Explains Reason Why Piastri Lacked Pace On Norris

Saturday, 23 December 2023 at 13:00

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Andrea Stella explained why one of his McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri, wasn't competitive at every single circuit of the calendar.

Mclaren F1 driver Oscar Piastri was a rookie in the 2023 Formula One season. It is challenging for drivers to break through in their first seasons, but he managed to do so.

Piastri impressed his team so much that his contract was extended until the end of season 2026. On the other hand, some might look at the results and ask why the Aussie was so praised when he finished the season 108 points behind his teammate.

McLaren's team principal Andre Stella, shared his observation with the media as he said Piastri had no problem with circuits he was familiar with. As quoted by motorsport.com, he said:

"On tracks with which Oscar had a certain familiarity or on which Oscar could do FP1, FP2, FP3 sessions and the full [schedule], he was very competitive."

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The problem for every rookie in Formula One is not only that they have to adjust to new cars, team dynamics, and politics but also that the calendar includes multiple tracks they haven't raced on before.

The majority of drivers come from Formula 2. This series has 14 races - which are all set on circuits that F1 races, but Formula 1 had 22 circuits in the last 3-4 seasons and is planned to race on 24 circuits in 2024.

"But on tracks which he had never been to before, [where] you only do a P1 and then you go and do a sprint, then you can see that the level you need to achieve to be very competitive is very high. "

So, while Piastri had some trouble adjusting to tracks he had never raced on before, his team principal was "extremely pleased" with the progress he saw from the 22-year-old. Stella added:

"So, we are extremely pleased with the level of performance that Oscar has been able to deliver once he had a fair amount of practice, which most of the time just means three hours before you go into qualifying