Oscar Piastri made his Formula One debut only a few weeks ago but Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft has already made a big prediction about his future behind the wheel.
“He is the real deal. I like Oscar Piastri. As a human being I think he is fantastic, he’s really approachable, very chatty – a really easy going guy,” Croft told SEN’s Sportsday.
“As a racing driver, he is absolutely the real deal. Like Charles Leclerc and George Russell, he won the two main feeder systems in F3 and F2 in consecutive years,” Croft stated, putting Piastri on a par with others who’ve been picked as potential future world champions.
Croft excused Piastri’s poor start for the Papaya team, as the team has failed to score any points in either of the races.
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The Australian was forced to retire from the Bahrain Grand Prix after only 17 laps when the car failed to restart after suffering an electronic problem.
Saudi Arabia didn’t go much better for Piastri despite the McLaren driver qualifying inside the top ten, as a lap one incident forced him to pit for a new front wing.
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“He has come into a McLaren team at not a great time for McLaren. They’re last in the Constructers Championship,” Croft said.
“I think we saw in Jeddah some real fight and some real spirit from Piastri. A great battle he was having with his team-mate Lando Norris and with Logan Sargeant, another rookie,” he added.
“He will only get better. He has really impressed the McLaren team in the way he has knuckled down, the way he’s learnt, the way he’s adapted to the strains and stresses of being an F1 driver,” Croft continued.
“In the years to come we will see some fine performances from this man. He looks a champion in the making to be honest and has done for some time now.”