Oscar Piastri has already impressed the Formula 1 world in just his third season on the grid. But when McLaren team principal Andrea Stella likened the young Australian to legends Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, the 24-year-old admitted the praise was both humbling and motivating.
Stella’s praise was no small thing. Earlier this year, the McLaren chief suggested that both Piastri and teammate Lando Norris are “operating at the level” of champions he worked with during his Ferrari days.
But last season, Stella stated that Piastri displayed Schumacher’s “natural talent, attitude, culture and values,” along with Alonso’s relentless ability to deliver “continuous improvements.”
For F1’s championship leader, such words carried both honor and pressure. Piastri, ever composed, takes it in stride.
"It's interesting just listening to what those drivers were like and what other people were like because, especially people like Michael and Fernando that Andrea has worked with, they're not exactly bad drivers," Piastri said in an interview with F1.com.
"So listening to what makes them good, and also in some ways what their weaknesses were in some cases, is always interesting to hear. I think just knowing that these people, who won multiple world championships, still had weaknesses is a nice thing to know as well.
"So yeah, I think I'm not a perfect driver. I don't think there is anyone that's perfect, but to be compared to some of the best that have ever raced in F1, it's a nice thing to have."
The Championship Battle Ahead
That humility has carried Piastri into a fierce intra-team fight with Norris. Heading into next weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, he holds a nine-point advantage in the standings.
Should he sustain his lead over the second half of the campaign, Piastri would become only the second Australian to capture the F1 world championship after Jack Brabham.
The historical echoes don’t stop there. His manager, Mark Webber, was once on the cusp of a title himself, famously battling for the 2010 crown with Red Bull.
Now, Webber’s experience is proving invaluable as he guides his protégé through the pressures of a championship chase.
"It is very useful having Mark around," says Piastri. "He's obviously been in a title battle himself like this, so I think there's probably some emotions coming back, I guess.
“The advice is very useful. not just in the championship battle, it's been useful from the moment we've been working together.
"I think there's a lot of specifics from fighting for a championship that are a bit different when you're not, so the advice has been very useful.
"I've also been able to lean on my own experiences in the junior categories. It's a bit different in Formula 1, but I've been able to lean on that as well. So yeah, Mark's been very helpful."
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Still at the beginning of his Formula 1 journey, Piastri is well aware that comparisons to Schumacher and Alonso bring with them both expectations and pressure.
But his calm acceptance of that challenge – and his willingness to embrace both strengths and flaws –suggest a driver mature beyond his years.
As McLaren continues its climb back toward the front of the grid, the young Australian is shaping not just his own career, but also his team’s future.
And if Stella’s comparisons prove prophetic, Piastri may soon find himself not just flattered by mentions of F1’s greats – but joining them.
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