Rookie Oscar Piastri has admitted that he never thought that he’d be fighting for podiums in his maiden Formula 1 season, yet that’s exactly the position he currently finds himself in.
The last four races have seen Piastri come to life, as a result of a large upgrades package McLaren introduced at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Prior to Austria, McLaren’s season had been woeful, with Piastri and Lando Norris having been given a car barely capable of challenging the top 10.
Fast forward to now, and things couldn’t have become anymore different.
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McLaren haven’t just improved their car; they’ve become one of the leading teams in the pecking order.
The Woking-based team have been in the top three in the pecking order at the last four events, something Piastri never thought was possible this year.
Piastri himself is now challenging for pole positions and podiums, both of which he’s yet to claim.
He’s pushing Norris all the way though, with the Australian having finished in the top five at the last three races.
The rookie even finished second recently at the Belgian Grand Prix sprint race, before retiring from the main race following a collision with Carlos Sainz.
Nevertheless, an actual podium in the second half of the season is more than possible for the Aussie.
“I think before the season maybe we thought that that could be possible in the right circumstances, with maybe a few cars not finishing,” Piastri said, as reported by Motorsport.com.
“Of course, once we got the season underway, it was a pretty distant dream that we’d be able to compete for the top three. And to now be here consistently for the last three weekends is pretty remarkable.
“It’s been amazing for me of course. It’s always a nice motivation when you know you can do a good job, the car is there to finish in the top three.”
As incredible as fighting Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari has been recently for Piastri, he’s very much keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
The former F2 and F3 World Champion is continuing to prioritise learning as much as he can, with him not letting himself get carried away by his recent sprint race medal.
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“I don’t think it changes too much of what I’m trying to do myself,” Piastri explained. “I’m always trying to get the most out of myself.
“I still have plenty to learn and just getting back up to speed with some things still, so from that aspect, it doesn’t change too much.
“But when you can walk away with a trophy or a sprint plaque thing it’s cool. So yeah, hopefully, we can get some more and keep pushing forward.”