McLaren driver Oscar Piastri has picked out the one race that changed his fledgling Formula 1 career in 2023.
Piastri is just beginning his second in the season sport after a successful rookie campaign in 2023.
And speaking to The Athletic, he named one Grand Prix that significantly raised his profile.
Piastri finished ninth in the standings with 97 points and scored a couple of podiums.
While teammate Lando Norris more than doubled his tally (205), it was the best rookie season since Lewis Hamilton with the same team in 2007.
He also memorably won the Sprint Race in Qatar, one of only two instances all season where Red Bull failed to take the chequered flag.
Piastri only managed to score five points across the first nine rounds, but a mid-season upgrade for McLaren transformed his fortunes.
Oscar Piastri says 2023 British Grand Prix was life-changing
Reflecting on his debut year, Piastri named the British Grand Prix as a turning point.
He qualified in what was a career-best third on the grid behind polesitter Max Verstappen and teammate Norris.
The Australian was on course to finish on the podium for the first time before an unfortunately timed safety car.
He ultimately had to settle for fourth, but he says he received much more ‘recognition’ after winning the hearts of the Silverstone crowd.
“The memory of having British fans chanting my name, that’s something I will never forget,” he said.
“That was definitely the weekend where I was kind of like, ‘Wow, this is a bit different, and life has changed a bit.’
“There was much more recognition from that point onwards.”
Is Piastri a future world champion?
Piastri laid down an early marker in the intra-team battle at McLaren by out-qualifying and out-racing Norris in Saudi Arabia last time out.
His fourth-place finish lifted him up to fifth in the drivers’ standings, three points ahead of Norris.
He’ll hope to beat his vastly more experienced teammate this year but concedes that he rarely mistakes.
Compatriot and 1980 F1 world champion Alan Jones has already seen enough to declare that Piastri can win a title in the future.
It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to do that with a McLaren team who haven’t tasted glory since 2008 with Hamilton.
Significantly, Red Bull are showing interest in the 22-year-old in the event that Verstappen leaves.
Piastri’s immediate focus will be on delivering a strong result on home soil at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
He scored his first points at this event last year by finishing eighth and Jones believes he’s capable of scoring a podium this time around.
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