Oscar Piastri Cautious of Being Another Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren: “One of the Difficulties of the Sport Is…”

All eyes are on Oscar Piastri. McLaren bagged the talented F2 champion in a dramatic contest with Alpine. To add to that, he replaced the loved Daniel Ricciardo. Having attracted so much of the limelight towards himself even before his first GP, Piastri’s future performance is already under scrutiny. And as it turns out, the road to drive a Mclaren F1 car may not be a smooth one for him. Will the world see a repeat of what happened to his fellow Australian?

McLaren F1 cars have proved to be very difficult when it comes to drivability. Eight-time Grand Prix winner, Ricciardo, struggled to understand the car and ultimately failed at it. On the other hand, Lando Norris put out laudable performances at every juncture, even bagging a podium at Imola in 2022. But Norris has also admitted to the ‘uniqueness of their car’, as quoted by WTF1.com, “I do feel like it’s a difficult car to drive, our car…. they’re quite specific and unique.”

Well aware of the difficulty of past McLaren F1 cars, Piastri has a positive attitude for the upcoming season. As quoted by Speedcafe.com, Oscar Piastri said, “I think one of the difficulties of the sport is being able to adapt. So you have to change it [driving style] more or less every year, and the cars are constantly getting developed, even throughout the season, you might have to adapt.”

Accepting he had to tweak his ways around the car, he said, “There are a few things that did need a bit of changing, but there was nothing that was completely alien. I wouldn’t say it was 100 percent natural, but I don’t think any car is 100 percent natural.”

Read More: Mercedes Champ Chimes Into Oscar Piastri Debacle With Gloomy Warning:”… Or He’s Basically Out of the Sport”

However, many still wonder if Piastri will be faced with similar issues as Daniel Ricciardo.

Painful spell for Ricciardo at McLaren

Eight-time Grand Prix winner, Daniel Ricciardo, joined the iconic team for a brief stint, hoping for glories. However, his stay became a painful one even after giving the team their only victory in a decade’s time. The Honey Badger just could not become one with the car.

The reason for Ricciardo not being able to pull off what he did at Red Bull was incomprehensible to everyone. He could not recreate the magic at McLaren. As a result, the Woking-based team traded one Australian for another. Ricciardo was pushed out of the team a year early. For the upcoming season, he has decided to be a reserve driver for the Milton Keynes outfit.

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The talented Piastri is set to line up alongside Lando Norris for the upcoming 2023 season. In a few weeks’ time, we will witness the youngest driver on the grid in action. What are your predictions for this rookie?