Zak Brown Reiterates His Trust in Oscar Piastri as $10,000,000 Legal Risk Proves Worth the Gamble

Lando Norris is finally having his day in the sun. With a revamped and energized McLaren MCL60 underneath him, the 23-year-old has shown us the talent and skill that we’d already suspected he had. But let’s not forget what his teammate, Oscar Piastri has been doing, too. When Daniel Ricciardo was given the boot at McLaren, he was a broken driver. Nonetheless, Piastri had big boots to fill.

The Woking-based team took a $10,000,000 gamble threatening to become a legal issue, to poach the young Australian from Alpine last year. But boy has it paid off! No one expected him to match Norris from the get-go, but since the upgrades, he’s become a bit of a handful for the Brit, too. He’s been pushing Norris. And that’s a good problem to have for the British team. But is Piastri really overachieving?

Zak Brown shrugs off Piastri surprise

Let’s not forget that Oscar Piastri is still only a rookie, but he’s come awful close to being a two-time podium sitter in the interim. While he may have missed out on the podiums, not necessarily by his own fault, Piastri has surprised a lot of paddock insiders and fans alike. What about Zak Brown, though?

On the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast, when asked if he was surprised by Piastri’s performances, he replied, “No, we expected Oscar [Piastri] to be super strong. So, we’re very happy to see it, and confirm what we thought was going to be the case. Just very impressed with him, but I wouldn’t say we’re surprised.”

Certainly, Oscar being right behind Lando in terms of pace & not languishing like Daniel Ricciardo was is a huge win for McLaren. Zak Brown will be content & keep showering the Aussie with praise as he keeps this performance level consistent. But it’s not only his own boss that has been singing his praises.

Read More: “Unless Max Retires”: Despite Bowing to Verstappen’s Greatness, Lando Norris Shoots Red Bull a Threatening Warning

F1 legend showers praise on rookie Oscar Piastri

When you’re doing a good job, the icing on the cake is the validation of someone who has gained a reputation for themselves as one of the best in that field. For young Oscar Piastri, his time has seemingly come as he gets recognized by one of the all-time greats of this sport.

In his Sky Sports column, Martin Brundle wrote, “Shadowing him [Norris], and even leading him for a while, was rookie Piastri who once again looked as if he was born to be at the front of F1 races. He sneaked perfectly past [Lewis] Hamilton and Norris in the first corner when they were consigned to a wider line and even looked as if he may take the lead.”

“McLaren have a fine and future-proof line-up there if they can keep them both.”

Can Piastri outshine Norris at McLaren?

WATCH THIS STORY | Is Oscar Piastri Already Justifying His Talent By Performing Better Than Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren?