Despite getting close, Oscar Piastri isn’t feeling the heat to claim first Formula 1 win

It’s only a matter of time before Aussie Oscar Piastri claims his first Formula 1 victory, however in his second year of racing with McLaren, Piastri says there’s no real ‘pressure’ to steal a win.

Oscar Piastri doesn’t feel under pressure to secure his first F1 grand prix win and insists he doesn’t have a ‘monkey on the back’ after recent missed opportunities for a maiden race victory.

Piastri and McLaren have come close to victory on multiple occasions this season but have only managed to deliver once, for Lando Norris at the Miami Grand Prix.

McLaren is now an F1 powerhouse once more, with Norris and Piastri an especially exciting combination for the years to come.

Piastri was a high-profile arrival in F1 last season after McLaren’s top brass battled to secure his services.

As revealed by Speedcafe, that involved a hefty payout for Daniel Ricciardo to free up a drive for the then-21-year-old.

Now halfway through his second year, Piastri is knocking on the door of a grand prix win.

He’s already tasted success, taking pole and victory in the F1 Sprint at Qatar last year, an achievement he’s confessed he somewhat took for granted at the time.

Oscar Piastri found the podium, finished second in Qatar 2023. Picture: Clive Rose/Getty Images

With McLaren a genuine contender at every event, and two races left before the F1 summer break, there’s potential the young Melburnian could break his duck in Hungary or Belgium over the next fortnight.

“It has been close a couple of times now,” Piastri admitted to Speedcafe when asked what a grand prix win will mean.

“I mean, it would be incredible.”

A key ingredient in Piastri’s growth over his first 18 months in F1 has been the support he’s had from McLaren bosses Zak Brown and Andrea Stella.

Part of that is managing expectations and accepting that, only 34 races into his grand prix career, there is still much to learn.

Affording him the opportunity to do so, as it did with Norris in previous years, they believe will net bigger, better results down the line.

As a result, success now is a bonus rather than an expectation.

“There’s not really, I guess, the pressure or the urgency [to win a race],” Piastri explained.

“A lot of people say ‘get the monkey off their back’ or stuff, like that. For me, that’s now how it would feel.

Piastri has the full support of McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“I think Austria in particular and even Silverstone, I was disappointed to have missed out, but not from a point of view like ‘damn, I could have got that off me back’, more like we had a chance to win an F1 race and we didn’t manage to do it.”

It’s a mentality in keeping with Piastri’s character; he’s calm, composed, often reserved, almost robotic with his ability to stay on top of his emotions at key moments.

According to Stella, who has worked with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso, they’re qualities that will serve him well.

It also means he’s been accepting and understanding of his position within the team, which at times has seen him play second fiddle to Norris – though he is by no means a ‘number two’ driver, contractually or otherwise.

In many respects, Piastri’s own pursuit of victory is an analogy of McLaren’s development as a force in F1.

Operational issues have cost the team, suggesting the pieces are not quite in the right place to routinely and seriously challenge Red Bull Racing.

Those issues have impacted one side of the garage more than the other.

At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, an error on the pit wall in qualifying left Piastri unaware of approaching traffic, a mistake which cost him five places on the grid.

Operation issues have cost Piastri and McLaren as they push to challenge Red Bull. Picture: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP

The British Grand Prix was another case in point, though in that instance both drivers were impacted – when the strategic chips were down, McLaren flinched.

But, there is clear potential and promise, just as there is with Piastri, and it seems a matter of time before it all drops into place for both.

“It’ll be very special, of course,” he said of his first grand prix win.

“The season is so compact and fast-paced that, honestly, I reckon the feeling would probably go away pretty quickly when you go to the next weekend, such is the season.

“But it would be very, very special and it’s something that I dreamed of as a kid.

“It’s going to be a special experience when that happens one day.”

Piastri sits fifth in the drivers’ championship, though he’s been the third highest scorer over the last six races – only five points behind Norris.

McLaren meanwhile is third in the constructors’ standings, just seven points off Ferrari in second having reeling in leaders Red Bull Racing by 37 points since the Emilia Romagna GP.

Read more F1 news from Speedcafe

Originally published as Despite getting close, Oscar Piastri isn’t feeling the heat to claim first Formula 1 win