Oscar Piastre: “I am delighted to debut with such a team”

Oscar Piastre, 21, is happy to join McLaren next year. The young Australian is grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to make his senior debut.

It’s been in the air for a while but the deal between Piastri and McLaren is complete. Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement announced last month that he would not be driving in the Alps next year, as it became available due to the departure of Fernando Alonso. The Australian was hired at Alpine as a reserve driver this year and had his sights set on a fixed racing seat in the first class and ended up at McLaren.

Satisfying

In a McLaren press release, Piastre spoke about the appointment with the Woking team. “I am very happy to have made my F1 debut with a team as prestigious as McLaren and I am so grateful for the opportunity. The team has a long tradition of giving young talent a chance and I am looking forward to working with Lando [Norris] Hard work to push the team forward,” he explains enthusiastically.

Team manager Andreas Seidl is also looking forward to working with Piastre. “The whole team is delighted to welcome Oscar to McLaren for the 2023 season,” the German said. “He’s had an amazing racing career so far.” McLaren CEO Zak Brown also expressed his delight at the huge talent from Australia: “Winning both Formula 3 and Formula 2 back-to-back seasons is a true achievement and a testament to his talent. With Lando and Oscar, we have a duo of young and exciting drivers with a huge ability to help us in Realizing our future ambitions. Oscar complements the McLaren family and we look forward to seeing him grow with the Formula 1 team.”