Webber mocks 'sophisticated' Piastri for unique persona trait

Mark Webber sees few similarities overall between F1 rookie Oscar Piastri and himself, or with fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo for that matter, especially regarding their respective personalities.

Piastri has taken over the duties of flying the Australian flag in Formula 1 following Ricciardo's departure from the grid at the end of last season.

The 22-year-old from Melbourne has replaced his countryman at McLaren and is seen by many as one of the brightest young talents to emerge from Down Under.

But Webber, who is managing his protégé's career in F1, believes Piastri's identity and persona are very different to the character of the two Australian's that preceded him in F1.

• Read also: McLaren rookie Piastri 'keeping Norris on his toes'

"Ann, my wife, said: 'He's the most sophisticated Australian that's gone overseas,'" Webber told the F1 Nation podcast.

"Given that she's comparing him to Daniel and I, the bar is very low!" joked the former Red Bull charger.

"The sophistication front of Daniel and I is very, very low bar, so I don't think there's any comparisons between myself and Oscar."

Webber also noted the very different environment in which Piastri is competing compared to twenty years ago, when the 46-year-old made his F1 debut.

"It just shows you the generation gap," Webber explained.

"I think that's the interesting thing. When you're talking to Oscar about certain things, it's just like, some of it's relevant of course, some of it's not.

"That's why you've got to work with the engineers as well, just to try and work out what's going in.

"The level of professionalism and detail they have now, and all the resources they have... The sport just continues to move on, which is great to watch."

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