Pressure on Piastri after junior domination
MARK Webber admits Australian young gun Oscar Piastri faces heightened expectations in his rookie Formula One season owing to his dominant junior career and because he had not “paid his way into the sport”.
As he declared Piastri was in a “brilliant frame of mind” ahead of his Formula One debut for McLaren early next month, former Red Bull star Webber expected there to be more intense focus on the 21year-old after his commanding results in junior formulae.
After winning the Formula 2 crown in 2021 – his third title in as many years – Piastri was forced to sit on the sidelines as a reserve driver for Alpine after he was unable to secure a Formula One drive last year.
He eventually signed with McLaren as fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement after the British team sacked the eight-time Grand Prix winner in August with a year still to run on his contract.
Piastri is regarded as one of the hottest young talents to enter the sport, having won the F3 and F2 championships in consecutive years – a feat only previously achieved by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Webber, the nine-time Grand Prix winner who manages the young Australian, said Piastri’s impending debut was a “huge moment” but the Melbourne racer was expected to do well.
“His junior career, it has been special,” Webber said.
“A lot of people are interested in Oscar because of the tremendous work he did in his junior categories which is on a par with Charles (Leclerc) and with George (Russell).
“Oscar is expected to do well and rightly so because he comes with a brilliant progression up to this point.”