Oscar Piastri believes McLaren can become more competitive during the unexpected break in the Formula 1 season and close the gap to Mercedes.
The Australian driver had a difficult start to the season. He crashed on his way to the starting grid at his home race in Melbourne and could not start the race in China because of an electrical problem with his car.
However, things improved in the third race in Japan, where Piastri finished second behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. His result showed the strong ability that helped him lead the championship by 34 points after 15 races last season.
The Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix have been postponed because of the situation in the Middle East. This means there will be almost a month without racing before the season continues in Miami in early May.
Piastri, who turned 25 on Monday, sees this break as a good chance for McLaren to improve and learn from the first races, as Mercedes have won all three races so far this season.
He said the short winter break did not give teams much time to prepare, so this extra time allows them to train more, study the car’s performance and try to return stronger in Miami.
Piastri, now in his third Formula 1 season, was recently named Australia’s highest-paid sportsperson, earning an estimated 57 to 59 million Australian dollars.
Last year, his popularity grew after he won seven of the first 15 races with a strong McLaren car and looked close to becoming Australia’s first Formula 1 world champion in many years.
In the end, results became more difficult and his teammate Lando Norris won the title, while Max Verstappen made a strong late challenge for Red Bull. Piastri finished third overall.
He said last season was a learning experience and showed that even with the fastest car, drivers must perform at a very high level.
Although he managed to keep Mercedes driver George Russell behind him for much of the race in Japan, Piastri admitted McLaren still have a big gap to close, as he finished 15 seconds behind the winner.
He remains confident that the team can improve but said there is still a lot of work to do.
