Ricciardo 'impressed' with Aussie hopeful and F3 champion Piastri

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Daniel Ricciardo is keeping an eye on young Australian charger Oscar Piastri, the Renault driver admitting to being impressed by the newly-crowned FIA F3 champion's skills.

Melbourne-born Piastri rose through the ranks to make his single-seater debut in 2016 in selected rounds of the Formula 4 UAE Championship.

He subsequently moved up the ladder to race and win in Formula Renault for two seasons before joining Prema Racing to contest this year's FIA Formula 3 Championship which the rookie duly won.

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Piastri - who is managed by nine-time Grand Prix winner mark Webber - is a member of the Renault Sport Academy and therefore among the happy few who aspire to race in Formula 1 in the future.

"It's really, really cool to see," said Ricciardo. "I only met Oscar in the off-season. We were both at Enstone together, so I got to meet him.

"As a person he seems like a good kid, head screwed on, pretty low maintenance. I'd say pretty chilled. On track I was certainly impressed with his race craft this year.

"In Monza he made some well-timed moves and didn't seem to get too flustered. I think even after qualifying this weekend, which was a disaster for his standards, he kept cool in the race, and didn't let it get away."

In addition to his burgeoning talent and race craft, Ricciardo noted Piastri's all-important ability to handle pressure.

"So I think he dealt with the pressure relatively well, and he's still young, so also don't expect him to be perfect yet. But I'm really, really happy for him.

"It's cool to see some Aussies back in there. There was a chunk in F3 this year, I think four of them. So awesome that one could win.

"I know Mark has been looking after him a little bit, and I'm sure giving him some guidance. So you can see it's paid off. So I’m very happy for Oscar."

Piastri shared the F3 grid this season with fellow Aussies, Jack Doohan, Alex Peroni and Cala Williams.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.