Australian motorsport sensation Oscar Piastri thrives in secret F1 test at famous Silverstone circuit

Melbourne racer Oscar Piastri has taken another step towards his goal of a Formula One drive in a secret hitout at one of the world’s most revered circuits.

Australian motorsport sensation Oscar Piastri hopes it’s the first of many trips to Silverstone he will make in a Formula One car.

The 20-year-old young gun continued his trajectory towards an F1 seat after a secret test at Silverstone with the Alpine F1 team at the British circuit this week.

A member of the Alpine Academy, the team kept Piastri’s test under wraps until after he hit the track in one of its older cars.

The test comes as a reward for Piastri, who sits second in the Formula 2 championship after a strong second round at Monaco last weekend.

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Australian motorsport sensation Oscar Piastri continues his push towards an F1 seat. Picture: Supplied

Piastri claimed two second-place finishes on the streets of Monte Carlo, which followed a win in the opening round in Bahrain.

The Melbourne racer, who is managed and mentored by nine-time Grand Prix winner Mark Webber, described his outing as an “extremely cool day”.

“There’s not really any better combination than an F1 car and Silverstone,” Piastri said.

“Massive thank you to Alpine for giving me this chance.

“It started off a bit wet … and it wasn’t really wet enough for wets but it was too wet to put on slicks, so we were standing around for a lot of the morning but we did a lot of laps in the afternoon.

Piastri during his test with Alpine F1 team at Silverstone this week. Picture: Supplied.

“I had an awesome time, I did a few qualy sims and a few long runs.

“I think it will stick in my mind for a long time to come and hopefully it’s the first of many trips to Silverstone in an F1 car.”

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It is the second time Piastri has tested an F1 car with Alpine, formerly Renault.

He earned a test in Bahrain in October last year after claiming the Formula 3 championship.

Piastri will race in the next round of the F2 championship in Baku from June 4-6.

Piastri smashes it as he charges around the Silverstone circuit.

Supercars whiz fears for organs in Indy 500 body buster

Triple Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin has detailed the “crazy fast” speeds and massive G-Forces he will face in his first Indy 500 as he aims to create some rookie waves in the famous race.

Ahead of the biggest race of his career, McLaughlin described the build-up to one of the most famous events on the world motorsport calendar as like Bathurst 1000 week but on a much “bigger scale”.

In his rookie year in IndyCar after crossing from Supercars with three consecutive V8 titles behind him, McLaughlin admitted racing on an oval speedway remained “foreign” to him but has had enough of a taste to know the forces to expect at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“At Bathurst we get up to 300km/h but in Indianapolis we are doing 370-375km/h, so it’s crazy fast, especially in qualifying,” McLaughlin said.

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“And the aerodynamics, there are a lot more Gs (G-Forces). You are pulling four or five Gs throughout the corner which takes its toll, especially on the insides of your body, literally my organs.

“I started to get some stomach cramps and stuff just from all the Gs and stuff pushing you through. I got used to that but you definitely have to build your muscles to look after all that stuff inside through there (the corners).”

McLaughlin will start from 17th on the grid for his debut Indy 500 for Team Penske early on Monday morning (AEST) after qualifying last weekend with his New Zealand countryman and six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon starting on pole.

Triple Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin will start from 17th on the grid for his first Indy 500. Picture: LAT Photography

The former Supercars champion has raced twice before on an oval speedway in Texas where he claimed his first IndyCar podium earlier this month, but conceded he would be learning the run in the Indy 500.

“It’s still very foreign for me, I have only had a couple of oval races,” McLaughlin, 27, said.

“Being able to run the super speedway at Texas and have a crack at those sorts of speeds it bodes well for me rather than having my first super speedway being the Indy 500.

“But at the same time I haven’t started three-wide and I haven’t gone into turn one in 17th position out of 33 (cars) either.

McLaughlin says putting a car into contention in a race like the Indy 500 was more about staying out of trouble.

“With the energy and the drafting … they say you don’t really have to throttle on into the corner because the draft basically pulls you along into turn one which is crazy so I’m going to have to learn all that.”

Despite starting from mid-pack, McLaughlin was confident he had the pace to move further up the field and knew from his Bathurst experience that putting a car into contention in a race like the Indy 500 was more about staying out of trouble.

“It’s one of those things where you can start from dead last and still be right up there if you want,” McLaughlin said.

“You have just got to really keep your nose clean, buy your ticket — kind of like Bathurst — for the last stint and be there in that top bracket.

McLaughlin made the move to IndyCar after winning three consecutive Supercars championships. Picture: Getty Images

“So it’s just a matter of me learning the race as quickly as I can as we get going and seeing if I can put myself in that position but I certainly feel like we’re a faster car than 17th.

“Hopefully I can learn it at a fast pace and be there or thereabouts at the end of the race and have a shot at the win but if not, we’ll just do the best result we can.”

McLaughlin has enjoyed the full Indy 500 experience, staying in a motorhome at the track.

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“Most of the drivers do that, we all get a lot space and everyone is crammed in here, it is pretty tight,” McLaughlin said.

“At night we have been playing ping pong with (Team Penske teammate) Will Power and going out to dinner with a couple of the drivers and stuff, it’s been pretty cool, like one big family.

“I’m in some pretty nice digs for the month, not as big as your house but it’s certainly a big enough place to make you feel comfortable.

“It’s kind of like race week in Bathurst which is pretty cool, it’s just on a lot bigger scale.

“You’re only a rookie once at the 500 so (I’m) just soaking it all in as much as I can.”