For Oscar Piastri, the journey to Formula 1 was far from easy. As an Australian, he faced more hardships than the average racer. In a candid interview, Piastri explains how his manager, Mark Webber, prepared him for the sport.
At the age of fourteen, Oscar Piastri moved alone to England, leaving his family behind in Melbourne, practically on the other side of the world. Piastri learned to stand on his own two feet at an early age, with guidance from manager Mark Webber, a nine-time race winner who took the Australian talent under his wing early on.
“It would have been easy to think that Formula 1 is just the next step after Formula 2,” Oscar Piastri said in an official press release. “But in many ways, it’s very different. It’s good that Mark (Webber) removed that naivety early on,” Piastri explained. “Everything changes when you go to Formula 1. Along with your teammate, you represent almost a thousand team members, millions of McLaren fans, and all our partners. Things change very quickly, but I was well informed about all the challenges beforehand.”
Fame
“The only thing you can’t really prepare for is being ‘somewhat famous’,” he continued. “That’s probably what I had to get used to the longest. My year as a reserve driver gave me a good insight into what it would be like, and I feel like I’ve adapted relatively quickly.”
“It’s very cool to get all that support and to have so many people cheering during a race,” Piastri concluded. “I think our fans have a very good culture in how they continue to support the team. But it’s still strange – I don’t feel any different than three or four years ago, but back then, very few people knew who I was.”
