McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has been talking about his cautious strategy for dealing with the media during his rookie season in Formula 1.
The 22-year-old from Melbourne, Australia took a notably guarded approach when talking with the media last year, careful not to criticise the team or get too harsh with his own performance in public, and avoiding any ‘tantrums’.
He’s also made sure not to get tangled up in a war of words with any of his on-track rivals, let alone his current team mate Lando Norris with whom he’s had a constructive working relationship with to date..
“There’s been some difficult sessions, some difficult races,” Piastri acknowledged. “But – and I think this also comes across in my [team] radio [exchanges] – there’s no point getting upset or emotional about things you can’t control.
“It’s much better to try and fix things that you can control than just get upset about them,” he told Motorsport.com. “That’s always been my way of trying to tackle these things, just trying to keep a clear mind.”
“For me, just trying to find answers to things is the most important thing,” he said. “There’s just no point, especially in self-deprecation, destroying yourself in front of the media. If you want to do that on your own, then sure.”
Piastri is fortunate to have former Red Bull driver Mark Webber as his manager to help him his way through any difficult periods, such as the media storm that erupted when he quit a reserve role at Alpine to sign for McLaren in mid-2022.
“His hindsight is my foresight in some ways,” Piastri said of Webber’s role, which he described as “mostly advice”.
“There’s been plenty of occasions, especially in the beginning of the year, where he’s come up with questions that haven’t even entered my mind,” he said, ranging from dealing with the media to travel logistics.
“He’s just got that little bit of experience and added info that you can really learn a lot from and is useful. He’s still got a very keen eye for everything that I’m doing.”
Other than a brief social media post denying Alpine’s premature claim that he had signed a long-term contract with them, Piastri kept his powder dry in the row with Alpine. That experience continues to inform his approach to the press today.
“I feel like I had enough controversy and headlines on my way into F1,” he admitted. “I certainly wasn’t in a rush to cause any anymore, and I kind of just try and let my driving do the talking.”
In that respect he’s been most articulate, claiming a sprint race win for McLaren in Qatar that saw him compared to a young Lewis Hamilton.
Now he’s had a full season of experience, Piastri is tipped to be a top performer in 2024 alongside Norris. Unsurprisingly the team has moved to secure an early contract extension keeping him at Woking through to the end of 2026.
“It was mostly from the team side of things to be honest,” said Piastri who was initially contracted until just the end of the 2024 season.
“It was a pleasant surprise for everyone to have the conversation of the extension a year earlier than what it could have been,” he acknowledged.
“[There was] no pressure from our side to get it done so early, but [it was] definitely a nice thing to put your mind at ease for even longer than it was.”
“It was a no-brainer to extend it early,” he added. “The team has been on an impressive trajectory. I felt very welcomed and very at home now, so it was an easy decision on both sides.”
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Piastri: ‘No point destroying yourself in front of the media’ F1i.com.
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