“Focused” Oscar Piastri Dismisses McLaren Outcast Daniel Ricciardo’s Approach to Life in His Quest to Attain F1 Greatness

The changing of guards between the Australians to drive for McLaren created huge ripples in the F1 world. But with the dust settled after the storm, the rookie, Oscar Piastri, is set to make his debut in two weeks’ time. Already the center of attention even before setting foot in the cockpit for the upcoming season, the young Piastri, for his upcoming F1 career, has decided to opt for a different racing line than his compatriot, Daniel Ricciardo.

Daniel Ricciardo is the man who is a favorite of the fans when it comes to the fun side of things. His driving style next to Vettel and Verstappen caught the F1 world’s eye at first, but what stayed with the fans was the fun he brought to any place he set foot. However, the Australian with the maximum GP starts is not someone whose footsteps Piastri wants to follow. The younger Australian doesn’t intend to take the opportunity of bagging a prestigious spot on a 20-driver grid very lightly. He intends to compartmentalize the serious side of the business away from the lighthearted one.

As quoted by Motorsport-Total.com, Piastri said, “I think there’s always a balance in things like this. We’re in an incredibly serious business and sport and you have to show that element of seriousness, but at the same time it’s a pretty awesome place to be. So I think we should approach it with some fun and realize how privileged we are to be in this position.”

He further added, “It’s always important to have a little fun every now and then, but when it comes to business, it’s important to be fully focused in order to move forward as quickly as possible.”

Read More: Skeptical About Oscar Piastri’s Debut, Veteran Daniel Ricciardo Shares Words of Wisdom: “I Really Can’t Predict”

While there always will be a comparison between the men from the land down under, Piastri seems to shrug away the past.

Oscar Piastri gives his two cents on the thing that sets him apart from Daniel Ricciardo

The world saw the 8x GP winner, Daniel Ricciardo, visibly struggling with the Papaya team. But Oscar Piastri says he has a trick up his sleeve to tackle a car that was often regarded as difficult to drive. This trick is an amalgamation of all his previous experiences of driving different cars in his junior categories that shows the confidence of this rookie to take assume Danny Ric’s mantle.

During the McLaren launch event, Piastri said, “It’s obviously a bit of a shame that things didn’t work out between the team and Daniel, but for me personally I’m not concerned about that aspect of things. Through my junior career, I’ve had to change car every single year. I’ve never driven the same car for more than a year. I think adaptation is a big strength that you need in the junior categories, and I think that’s been prominent in mine.”

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Do you think Oscar Piastri can live up to the hype created around his name?