Piastri heading for first home race: 'Will be even crazier than last year'

For Oscar Piastri, the next Grand Prix on the calendar in Melbourne is a home race. The McLaren driver also competed at last year's Australian Grand Prix and expects an even crazier weekend this year.

In 2022, the Australian was still linked to Alpine and was able to drive a free practice session with that team as a junior in front of his home crowd. This weekend, he will drive a home race in Formula 1 for the first time. Piastri is very much looking forward to that. In conversation with Speedcafe.com the driver says: "Obviously, it’s my first home race as a driver, which will be an amazing experience, regardless of how it goes. So yeah, can’t wait."

Piastri's first home race

It will be a busy weekend for Piastri who hails from Melbourne himself. "Even last year, being a reserve driver, it was already a pretty crazy experience. So I think I’ve got somewhat of an idea to expect but I’m pretty sure it’ll be another step crazier this year." For Piastri, it is to be hoped that his car cooperates better this weekend. The Australian moved from Alpine to McLaren in 2022 amid much noise, but so far does not seem to have made the right choice.

McLaren has yet to score a point after the first two races in 2023. However, Piastri did manage to qualify on P8 in Saudi Arabia. A minor collision with Pierre Gasly at the start ensured that no points came after all. Piastri: "After that, it was a reasonable race. Driving 49 laps on the hard tyre is just some good learning for us." The driver concludes, "At this point, getting laps under my belt is still the most important thing. In the end, there was good experience gained."