McLaren boss bets Oscar de Piastri ‘will be one of the best in Formula 1’

Oscar de Piastri did not complete the Bahrain GP, ​​at the opening of Formula 1. His McLaren broke down and the 21-year-old had to retire. He had only started in 18th position on the grid. Despite the poor start, team boss Andrea Stella made optimistic predictions about the driver’s future in the category on Monday, predicting the Australian will be one of the best on the grid in no time.

McLaren’s new boss is impressed with the personality and talent shown by the driver in his short time with the team. The Australian arrived on the Formula 1 grid only this season as a former F-2 and F-3 champion and already shows a job above expectations for a rookie.

“Oscar is new to F1 but is proven winning material in the junior categories. He is doing very well so far and we are delighted,” said Stella, speaking between pre-season testing and the Bahrain Grand Prix. “The level of talent, the level of progress that we’ve seen day to day, during testing, is very encouraging and kind of confirms that he’s a strong prospect for the future.”

Stella was asked what impressed him most about Piastri and what the 21-year-old still lacks, and used the pre-season work, also done in Bahrain, as a parameter for an analysis.

“What impresses us is his awareness of his opportunities while driving. He could come back and make comments like, ‘I think I braked a little too early in turn one, I didn’t step on the gas early enough in fourth.’ and that’s exactly it,” explained Stella.

“So he goes out for the second race and takes those opportunities. For me that is a definition of talent and we see a lot of that. We are also, as I said before, satisfied with the improvement that we have seen day by day,” he stated. “I think in terms of overall opportunity, Formula 1 is a very, very competitive game, so he just has to go his own way, and I’m sure the ultimate destination will be one of the best drivers on the grid.”