McLaren race engineer Tom Stallard has witnessed first hand Oscar Piastri’s remarkable growth in Formula 1, and so far, the Briton has seen no indication that the young Aussie’s improvement may be “flattening off”.
With two podiums, a sprint win and multiple displays of brilliance, Piastri’s debut season in the sport in 2023 confirmed the hype surrounding him as one of the brightest natural talents of his generation.
But the 23-year-old’s trajectory has gone vertical this season, with two outright wins – in Hungary and in Azerbaijan – and five additional podiums solidifying his status as a front-running contender in F1.
On a recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Stallard shared his insights about Piastri’s development as a driver.
When asked if he believed the young Australian was world championship material, Stallard offered the clearest response possible.
“Yeah, absolutely,” the McLaren engineer replied. “His rate of improvement hasn't really dulled in 39 races. He keeps learning, he keeps improving, he keeps wanting information, going through stuff. We discuss things. He goes and executes it.
“So for me, if you're improving at that rate, what's the limit? The limit comes when that improvement flattens off, and at the moment we've seen no sign of that flattening off, so that's obviously going well.”
The race engineer recalled the late nights spent poring over data with Piastri, fine-tuning strategies and discussing every aspect of performance.
What stood out to Stallard wasn’t just the young gun’s raw speed but his relentless thirst for knowledge and improvement. Each race presented new challenges, and Piastri approached them with the mindset of a true champion.
But it wasn’t only his driving skills that impressed Stallard; it was also Piastri’s growing leadership qualities.
“One of the things that world champion drivers do is to galvanise the team and the factory into having great belief, not just in that driver but also in themselves,” he explained.
©McLaren
“It's a strange environment because you're 22-years-old and suddenly you're a leader in a company of a thousand people, essentially, which doesn't happen to very many 22-year-olds.
“The team looks at you for guidance and support and leadership, and his ability to do that is also really coming on and developing.”
As the final six races of the season loom, Piastri sits fourth place in F1’s Drivers' standings, only eight points shy of Charles Leclerc in third, while McLaren has established a commanding lead over Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.
The future looks bright for Piastri, and given his current rate of development, there’s no telling how far he can go.
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