F1 2023: Australia’s Oscar Piastri has 11 races to prove himself or risk being sacked by McLaren

F1 is a cut throat sport for anyone but if you’re a rookie time is not your friend. Oscar Piastri has a very small window to impress before he is old news, says Martin Brundle.

Australia’s Oscar Piastri has 11 races to prove himself or risk being sacked, according to Martin Brundle who has lifted the lid on the cutthroat nature of life as a rookie in Formula One.

The 21-year-old Melburnian makes his F1 debut with McLaren at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend with expectations high given his contract with the team came at the expense of compatriot Daniel Ricciardo.

Driving alongside Lando Norris, 23, the McLaren duo are the youngest partnership on the grid in 2023 and both have a lot to prove.

“He (Piastri) comes highly rated,” Brundle told Kayo Sports.

“He’s bright, extremely focused and a lot of people have spoken very highly of him, but F1 is a different game.

“He’s got Norris across the garage and he’s coming into McLaren who have high expectations.

“If he gets good results in the first few races then the confidence will come, if you start with some tangles and maybe you can’t find your way then the chin drops, that’s a very telling moment.

“There are no excuses in F1, there is nowhere to hide. You’re given the first half of the season to find your way, the second half you have to find your way or you will be changed.”

Oscar Piastri arrives in the paddock at the Bahrain International Circuit ahead of his first F1 Grand Prix with McLaren. Picture: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

Piastri sent shockwaves around the F1 world last August when he emerged as Ricciardo’s replacement. Moreover, it was his very public dismissal of Alpine – a team that has nurtured his talent – which left a bitter taste in some mouths.

While many have criticised the manner in which Piastri and his manager Mark Webber went about securing the McLaren seat, Brundle says it’s time to move forward.

“Aussies are straight talkers,” Brundle said. “Mark will know what to tell him.

“Alpine is old news now and when you know the backstory to it. If an Alpine breezes past him, maybe in commentary there will be comments, but they made their decisions based on information available. Last year’s contract stuff is old news.

“From everything I’ve been told Piastri is the real deal.”

Piastri endured a difficult introduction to F1 last week and admitted he was not happy with the McLaren’s performance at pre-season testing.

As a team he and Norris clocked the fewest kilometres and, more alarmingly, McLaren is already talking about upgrades which suggests they are not happy with the current state of the MCL60.

While it remains to be seen how the rookie will go in his first season, he certainly seems to have impressed those in the know with the controversy all but forgotten.

“I like Oscar, he is a terrific person,” Sky F1 pundit David Croft said. “What he did with going to McLaren was right and he did what was best for himself.

“Alpine got it wrong. Oscar made that statement on Twitter but he was right to make it. He was letting people know where his position was.

“He’s not talking out of turn now, he’s been very quiet and he will go and do his talking on the track. I enjoy watching him and he will be a credit to Australian motorsport.”

Piastri is up against it in 2023. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

The 2023 season stands to be something of an evolutionary period in F1. Fans will look for immediate improvements but the experts are warning to give it time.

After a disastrous start to 2022 all eyes will be on whether Mercedes will be back in the hunt and able to challenge the Red Bull. Sadly pre-season testing suggests the car is still lacking in straight line speed.

With Fernando Alonso replacing Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin there is a quiet optimism about the team which has invested heavily in technical expertise for 2023 with the goal of going from seventh to fourth.

But the biggest question mark hovers above Ferrari, which sacked team principal Mattia Binotto in December after 28 years of service.

While it seemed inevitable that someone would fall on their sword amid a plethora of strategic and technical disasters throughout 2022, many feel Ferrari have made the ultimate error in dismissing Binotto.

Mattia Binotto was sacked after 28 years with Ferrari. Picture: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Ferrari has not won a constructors’ title since 2008 or a drivers’ championship since 2007. So can Binotto’s successor Fred Vasseur turn things around?

“The change was a surprise,” Brundle said of Binotto’s departure. “You need continuity.

“I think they needed to sort a few things reliability-wise, strategy-wise and driver-wise. They needed to calm those things down (so) why you would disrupt that I don’t know.

“For Fred Vasseur … it’s tough. When you think back to when they last dominated, Michael Schumacher was in the car, Stefano Domenicali was there, that’s the kind of firepower you need. It’s a tall order for any one person to handle that.”

Any positive change within the Ferrari team will not become apparent until we’re at least a quarter of the way through the 23-race season, according to Brundle who has also called on the two drivers to make adjustments.

“Raw pace is the first thing (to look for) then you have to wait four or five races to figure out if the strategy is improved,” he said.

“The two drivers have to change their style in some respects, too. Charles (Leclerc) has to dial back on the speed. He seems close to the edge of the limit of the car and Carlos (Sainz) needs to forget about Charles’ speed and work on his own strengths.

“He needs to play a longer game, adopt the Alain Prost/Nikki Lauda style, and make sure he is there at the end of the race. If they bring an A-game every weekend – like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – they can match the others.”

Originally published as F1 2023: Australia’s Oscar Piastri has 11 races to prove himself or risk being sacked by McLaren