Oct.4 (GMM) Oscar Piastri is flattered by the latest reward of his expertise and potential coming from some very excessive locations not too long ago.
Simply this week, though it’s Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris with the higher shot on the 2024 title, former F1 chief govt Bernie Ecclestone hailed the 23-year-old McLaren driver.
“The Australian, I feel, is a magic man,” mentioned Ecclestone, 93.
“He would, for certain, be world champion throughout the subsequent two years if the automobile retains performing the way in which it’s. He actually stands out amongst all of the others.”
It’s no shock that Ecclestone is a fan of Piastri’s, on condition that the boy-faced Australian has usually been in comparison with Alain Prost – the driving force Ecclestone usually names as the best Formulation 1 driver of all time.
“It’s a comparability that I’m honoured by, particularly as a result of Alain was one of the vital profitable drivers in our sport,” Piastri advised Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport this week.
“I wasn’t even alive when he was racing so I don’t have the entire image, however from what I hear or examine him, I do see some similarities between us.
“Prost had a really easy and rounded driving fashion. He was very exact in his work. I can see that in myself too.”
Piastri even is aware of quadruple world champion Prost, 69, personally, as they labored collectively at Alpine just some years in the past previous to the Australian’s F1 debut.
“I spoke to him just a few occasions once I was nonetheless at Alpine,” Piastri confirmed. “It was extremely fascinating to speak to him and he additionally gave me some suggestions.”
A kind of suggestions could have been about learn how to minimise accidents and incidents, with Prost having famously admitted that he solely ever drove a automobile to a most of 99.9 % of its potential.
“It’s not fairly like that now,” Piastri insists. “In our time you at all times need to drive on the restrict.
“When Prost was racing, the automobiles had been much less dependable and never as protected, so going over the restrict had a lot better penalties than it does as we speak. However you continue to can’t go over the curbs each lap.
“Right this moment it’s about hitting the restrict exactly. Should you keep a tenth underneath, you’re too sluggish. Should you go over it, the tyres punish you. It’s a wonderful line.”
