Piastri’s smooth driving leaves two-time F1 champ raving in candid assessment

The 57-year-old, who reflected on the young Australian, singled out his incredible personality before highlighting his car control as particularly impressive.

“First of all, Oscar is a great personality. A great guy. Really down to earth. Great talent. Great car control. He can really control the car really well,” Hakkinen said via Speed Cafe.

Hakkinen also noted the challenges posed by modern F1 cars and tyres, praising Piastri’s smoothness and ability to look after his tyres during races.

“I think the cars and the tyres are one of the biggest challenges these days in Formula 1, and I think Oscar was able to really take care of the tyres and be really smooth with the tyres,” he added.

The two-time world champion, doubling down on his claim, continued by lauding Piastri’s driving, which he dubbed very consistent.

Although Piastri narrowly missed out on the 2025 drivers’ championship, Hakkinen stressed the reality that a team can only have one world champion, while reaffirming Piastri’s exceptional talent.

“You cannot have two world champions in a team. There can be only one world champion. And Lando [Norris] won the world championship, and Oscar, constantly, my mind said – what a great driver. What a fantastic driver,” he concluded.

Piastri missed out on the 2025 championship despite leading the standings for much of the season. The 24-year-old, who recorded seven victories in the first 15 races, failed to secure any wins in the final nine Grands Prix of the campaign.

Earlier, Piastri acknowledged that drivers could face difficulties with the new regulations regarding battery harvesting.

The McLaren driver cited both Albert Park and the Jeddah Corniche as circuits that could prove particularly challenging for power harvesting.

Piastri, however, hinted that teams alongside drivers would have to devise more clever ways to adjust to the demands of the new F1 regulations.